Final answer:
Semantic encoding was found to be the best processing condition for word recognition, followed by acoustic encoding and physical encoding.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to the research by Craik and Tulving, the best processing conditions for word recognition were ordered from best to worst as follows: semantic → acoustic → physical. They found that words that were encoded semantically, i.e., by their meaning, were better remembered compared to those encoded visually or acoustically. Semantic encoding involves a deeper level of processing and is associated with better memory. They found that semantic processing, which involves processing the meaning of words, leads to better memory recall compared to shallow processing like acoustic or physical characteristics of words.