Memory & cognition
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Semantic priming effects in naming Italian and English words were investigated. Experiments 1 and 2 were in Italian. In Experiment 1, the subjects named a target word, which was either associated with or unrelated to a preceding prime. ⋯ Finally, Experiment 4 indicated that, even in Italian, nonlexical reading was abandoned when a few of the to-be-pronounced items required lexical knowledge for correct stress assignment. The findings suggest that reading normally occurs lexically. The characteristics of the various writing systems, however, are relevant in determining the strategies that people may adopt in unusual circumstances.