What property of words contributes to the word frequency effect?

The word frequency effect is a well-documented phenomenon in cognitive psychology that suggests that words that are encountered more frequently in a language are recognized and processed more quickly than less common words. This effect can be attributed to the way our cognitive system organizes and retrieves vocabulary based on exposure and use.

Words that are used often become more familiar and easier to access in memory. This familiarity facilitates quicker recognition and enhances the ease with which we recall or comprehend these words during reading or conversation. The more frequently a word is encountered, the stronger the neural pathways associated with that word become, making it more efficient for our brains to process.

This property is central to understanding various aspects of language processing, such as lexical retrieval, fluency, and even reading comprehension. It's worth noting that although other factors like complexity, word length, and syllable count can influence processing to some extent, they do not specifically account for the consistent and robust impact of frequency on language performance.