Hypothesized looks to the competitor as a function of distance from the category boundary. A, Schematic of prior results with NH individuals showing a gradient effect of distance. B, Predictions if CI users show heightened sensitivity to fine-grained detail. C, Predictions if CI users show less sensitivity to fine-grained detail, but heightened lexical activation for competitors. D, Predictions if CI users increase activation for lexical competitors but do not modulate sensitivity to fine-grained detail. CI indicates cochlear implant; NH, normal hearing.