On the nature of consonant/vowel differences in letter position coding: Evidence from developing and adult readers

In skilled adult readers, transposed‐letter effects (jugde ‐JUDGE ) are greater for consonant than for vowel transpositions. These differences are often attributed to phonological rather than orthographic processing. To examine this issue, we employed a scenario in which phonological involvement varies as a function of reading experience: A masked priming lexical decision task with 50‐ms primes in adult and developing readers. Indeed, masked phonological priming at this prime duration has been consistently reported in adults, but not in developing readers (Davis, Castles, & Iakovidis, 1998). Thus, if consonant/vowel asymmetries in letter position coding with adults are due to phonological influences, transposed‐letter priming should occur for both consonant and vowel transpositions in developing readers. Results with adults (Experiment 1) replicated the usual consonant/vowel asymmetry in transposed‐letter priming. In contrast, no signs of an asymmetry were found with developing readers (Experiments 2–3). However, Experiments 1–3 did not directly test the existence of phonological involvement. To study this question, Experiment 4 manipulated the phonological prime‐target relationship in developing readers. As expected, we found no signs of masked phonological priming. Thus, the present data favour an interpretation of the consonant/vowel dissociation in letter position coding as due to phonological rather than orthographic processing.     

Word Meaning Frequencies Affect Negative Compatibility Effects In Masked Priming

Negative compatibility effects (NCEs)—that is, slower responses to targets in related than unrelated prime-target pairs, have been observed in studies using stimulus-response (S-R) priming with stimuli like arrows and plus signs. Although there is no consensus on the underlying mechanism, explanations tend to locate NCEs within the motor-response system. A characteristic property of perceptuo-motor NCEs is a biphasic pattern of activation: A brief period in which very briefly presented (typically) masked primes facilitate processing of related targets is followed by a phase of target processing impairment. In this paper, we present data that suggest that NCEs are not restricted to S-R priming with low-level visual stimuli: The brief (50 ms), backward masked (250 ms) presentation of ambiguous words (bank) leads to slower responses than baseline to words related to the more frequent (rob) but not less frequent meaning (swim). Importantly, we found that slowed responses are preceded by a short phase of response facilitation, replicating the biphasic pattern reported for arrows and plus signs. The biphasic pattern of priming and the fact that the NCEs were found only for target words that are related to their prime word’s more frequent meaning has strong implications for any theory of NCEs that locate these effects exclusively within the motor-response system.     

Gyral morphology in the posterior Sylvian region in families affected by developmental language disorder

This study describes the family aggregation of gyral morphology in the posterior perisylvian region in families that contain one or more children with a developmental language disorder. The probands in these families were 8 male and 2 female children referred through therapy programs and schools for children with language and reading problems. Family members included both biological parents (10 m, 10 f) and all available siblings (6 m, 4 f). Gyral morphology in the members of these families was compared with control subjects (10 m, 10 f) who were without a personal or family history of developmental language disorders. Gyral morphology was evaluated using T1-weighted sagittal scans from a GE Signa 1.5T magnet, 5 mm consecutive slices through the full brain volume. A less common type of Sylvian fissure morphology was more frequently found in the hemispheres of language-disordered subjects and their first-degree relatives than in control subjects. In addition, the pattern of Sylvian fissure morphology across generations within the families suggests that this feature might be inherited from either parent. The elevated rate of extra gyri in the posterior perisylvian region in families affected by language disorder links an anomaly within a language-related brain region with familial risk for this disorder.     

Effects of thematic and lexical priming on readers' eye movements

The study was inspired by Ehrlich & Rayner (1981). In the study semantic context effects were investigated during on-line discourse processing. Readers' eye movements were registered to see whether words that were semantically closely related to the global theme of the text were read faster than words that did not have any apparent semantic link to the discourse theme. In addition, lexical priming was examined by presenting an identity prime earlier in the text. The results showed that non-thematic words were regressed to more often than thematic words. Regressions were typically initiated after reaching a clause or sentence boundary. Regressions were thus assumed to be made in order to integrate non-thematic words into the previous context. Modest negative correlations were found between word's fixation time and its relative predictability. No effects of lexical priming were observed. It was concluded that moderately constraining discourse contexts produce negligible effects on word recognition.     

沃尔夫假说的新证据:范畴内和范畴间颜色辨别难度相同时语言范畴也会影响注意前颜色知觉

该研究探讨了当范畴内和范畴间颜色的辨别难度相同时,语言范畴是否会影响注意前颜色知觉。实验中,采用渐变且相邻者差别阈限数相当的A、B、C、D四种颜色（前两者为绿色,后两者为蓝色）为刺激材料,并让被试接受视觉Oddball脑电测试。脑电测试分视野给被试呈现标准刺激,以及与标准刺激属同一语言范畴（即颜色词绿色或蓝色）或不同语言范畴的偏差刺激。结果发现：在左视野呈现时,范畴内偏差刺激比范畴间偏差刺激诱发了边缘显著更大的视觉失匹配负波（vMMN）,在右视野呈现时,两类偏差刺激诱发的vMMN无显著差异;范畴内偏差刺激在不同视野呈现时诱发的vMMN无显著差异,范畴间偏差刺激则在右视野呈现时诱发了显著更大的vMMN。这一结果表明,当范畴内和范畴间颜色的辨别难度相同时,语言范畴也会影响早期的、注意前颜色知觉,支持了沃尔夫假说。     

The Impact of Sonority on Onset-Rime and Peak-Coda Lexical Decision and Naming of Lexical Items by Children with Different Spelling Ability

The present study used the lexical decision (making YES/NO decision) and the vocalization (naming) paradigms in two reaction time experiments to examine the cohesiveness of onset-rime and peak-coda in the syllable structure of English lexical items. The aim was to study the effect of sonority hierarchy of liquids, nasals and obstruents on the accurate and rapid identification and naming of CCVCC words and pseudowords in relation to the spelling performance of 222 grades 4, 5 and 6 students. In the onset-rime lexical decision and naming tasks nasals were processed faster than the liquids and the obstruents. In the peak-coda lexical decision and naming the obstruents were processed faster than the liquids and nasals. The reaction time results suggest relationship with the spelling of English words even though the significant main effects of grade, spelling performance, mode of response and lexicality of the stimulus items need to be interpreted in the context of statistical interactions.     

Lexical studies of Filipino person descriptors: adding personality‐relevant social and physical attributes

Lexical studies have focused on traits. In the Filipino language, we investigated whether additional dimensions can be identified when personality‐relevant terms for social roles, statuses and effects, plus physical attributes, are included. Filipino students (N = 496) rated themselves on 268 such terms, plus 253 markers of trait and evaluative dimensions. We identified 10 dimensions of social and physical attributes—Prominence, Uselessness, Attractiveness, Respectability, Uniqueness, Destructiveness, Presentableness, Strength, Dangerousness and Charisma. Most of these dimensions did not correspond in a one‐to‐one manner to Filipino or alternative trait models (Big Five, HEXACO, ML7). However, considerable redundancy was observed between the social and physical attribute dimensions and trait and evaluative dimensions. Thus, social and physical attributes communicate information about personality traits, and vice versa. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

注意资源对正常人消极情绪偏向的影响

本研究以正常人为研究对象,分别采用词汇判断任务和后掩蔽范式,以两个行为实验考察了阈上/阈下两种情况下,注意资源的多少对消极情绪偏向的影响.结果发现,在阈上条件下,只有当注意资源缺乏时,才能出现消极情绪偏向;在阈下条件下,无论注意资源多少,都没有出现消极情绪偏向.表明消极情绪偏向在正常人中的出现不是"无条件的",而是受到注意资源多少的影响.     

自传体记忆的情绪对其相关信息内隐提取的影响

本研究主要考察自传体记忆本身的情绪是否影响该记忆相关信息的内隐提取过程。取大学生15人完成实验, 实验分为两部分：记忆提取和词汇判断。首先在记忆提取阶段, 要求被试根据词对(形容词-中性名词)提取积极、消极和中性情绪色彩的自传体记忆事件。接着在词汇判断任务中, 要求被试对包含提取过记忆的中性名词的词语进行词和非词的判断, 并且记录相应的脑电波。结果发现：(1)被试按要求成功提取了积极、消极和中性三类自传体记忆事件。词汇判断任务中, 内隐提取三类自传体记忆信息的反应时和正确率均无显著差异。(2)相比于积极、中性自传体记忆信息, 消极自传体记忆信息提取的过程中的ERP波幅更大, 更偏向于正向。这表明自传体记忆信息的内隐提取受到记忆本身情绪的影响, 消极自传体记忆信息提取需要付出更多资源。     

情绪效价及强度对词汇加工的影响

以46名大学生为被试,以不同词性（名词&动词）的汉语双字正性情绪词、负性情绪词、中性词作为刺激材料,考察情绪效价强度（极端、中等、中性）对词性判断加工的影响。结果表明：（1）动词的词性判断比名词难,且该难度会受到高强度情绪信息的影响而扩大。（2）情绪效价及强度对名词加工的影响表现在两个方面：极端正性情绪易化对名词的加工,增强名词加工的优势效应;而中等和极端负性情绪干扰对名词的词性判断,削弱名词加工的优势效应。（3）除了受到性别、性格等因素的影响外,情绪效价强度效应的具体表现还受刺激类型的调制。