當代口語語詞辨識理論多主張語詞的片段可以活化一組候選詞，之後並引發了詞彙競爭的過程。這類過程的本質為何，一直是西方文獻探討的重點。然而，鮮有研究使用中文的受試者來探討這一問題。在本研究當中，使用國語的受試者在聽過單音節或雙字詞的促發刺激後，對雙字的視覺目標刺激進行詞彙判斷。實驗1A和1B發現，如果單音節的促發刺激和雙字詞目標刺激的詞首音節相同，那麼詞彙判斷的反應會比兩者不同時要來得快。在實驗2當中，當雙字詞促發刺激和雙字詞目標相同時，反應時間會比兩者完全不同時來得快；然而，如果兩者只共享詞首音節時，反應時間卻比兩者完全不同者慢。本研究的結果將與前人的實驗結果以及當代的口語語詞辨識理論參照討論。

Most contemporary models of spoken word recognition argue for the activation of a set of word candidates upon the input of word fragments and a subsequent process of lexical competition. The nature of such processes has been intensively studied in the western literature. However, there is a paucity of research on the issue with Chinese subjects. In this phonological-priming study, Chinese-speaking participants made lexical decision to disyllabic visual targets after hearing monosyllabic or disyllabic prime words. In Experiments 1A and 1B, lexical decision responses were faster when the monosyllabic primes corresponded to the first syllables of the disyllabic targets than when they did not. In Experiment 2, lexical decision responses were faster when the disyllabic primes were identical to the disyllabic targets than when the prime-target pairs shared nothing in common. However, lexical decision responses became slower when the prime-target pairs only shared the first syllable than when they shared nothing in common. The results are discussed with reference to the empirical findings of earlier research and the contemporary models of spoken word recognition.