Skip to main content
Download PDF

Impact of phonology on the generation of handwritten responses: Evidence from picture-word interference tasks

Memory & Cognition volume 38, pages 519–528 (2010)Cite this article

An Erratum to this article was published on 01 December 2010

Abstract

State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China The degree to which phonological codes constrain handwriting is at present controversial. Two experiments used a picture-word interference paradigm in which participants wrote down the names of pictures while attempting to ignore visual distractor words presented at various time intervals (SOAs). Distractors could be orthographically and phonologically related, orthographically related only, or unrelated. We found an exclusive effect of phonology at an early SOA, and orthographic priming at a later SOA. In a second experiment, we showed that the effect of phonology was diminished when writers engaged in concurrent articulatory suppression. The results suggest a role of phonology in the generation of handwritten words that is to some extent dependent on situational circumstances.

References

  • Aitchison, J., &Todd, P. (1982). Slips of the mind and slips of the pen. In R. N. St. Clair & W. von Raffler-Engel (Eds.),Language and cognitive styles: Patterns of neurolinguistic and psycholinguistic development (pp. 180–194). Lisse: Swets & Zeitlinger.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baayen, R. H., Davidson, D. J., &Bates, D. M. (2008). Mixed-effects modeling with crossed random effects for subjects and items.Journal of Memory & Language,59, 390–412.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baayen, R. H., Piepenbrock, R., &Gulikers, L. (1995). The CELEX lexical database (Release 2) [CD-ROM]. Philadelphia: Linguistic Data Consortium, University of Pennsylvania.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baddeley, A. D., &Hitch, G. J. (1974). Working memory. In G. H. Bower (Ed.),The psychology of learning and motivation (Vol. 8, pp. 47–89). New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baddeley, A. D., Lewis, V., &Vallar, G. (1984). Exploring the articulatory loop.Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 36A, 233–252.

    Google Scholar 

  • Basso, A., Taborelli, A., &Vignolo, L. A. (1978). Dissociated disorders of speaking and writing in aphasia.Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, & Psychiatry, 41, 556–563.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bates, D. (2005). Fitting linear mixed models in R. R News, 5, 27-30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bonin, P., &Fayol, M. (2000). Writing words from pictures: What representations are activated, and when?Memory & Cognition, 28, 677–689.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bonin, P., Fayol, M., &Peereman, R. (1998). Masked form priming in writing words from pictures: Evidence for direct retrieval of orthographic codes.Acta Psychologica, 99, 311–328.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bonin, P., Peereman, R., &Fayol, M. (2001). Do phonological codes constrain the selection of orthographic codes in written picture naming?Journal of Memory & Language, 45, 688–720.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caramazza, A., &Miceli, G. (1990). The structure of graphemic representations.Cognition, 37, 243–297.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Coltheart, M., Rastle, K., Perry, C., Langdon, R., &Ziegler, J. (2001). DRC: A dual route cascaded model of visual word recognition and reading aloud.Psychological Review, 108, 204–256.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Costa, A., &Sebastian-Gallés, N. (1998). Abstract phonological structure in language production: Evidence from Spanish.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, & Cognition, 24, 886–903.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Damian, M. F., &Dumay, N. (2007). Time pressure and phonological advance planning in spoken production.Journal of Memory & Language, 57, 195–209.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Damian, M. F., &Martin, R. C. (1999). Semantic and phonological codes interact in single word production.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, & Cognition, 25, 345–361.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Damian, M. F., &Stadthagen-Gonzalez, H. (2009). Advance planning of form properties in the written production of single and multiple words.Language & Cognitive Processes, 24, 555–579.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis, C. J. (2005). N-Watch: A program for deriving neighborhood size and other psycholinguistic statistics.Behavior Research Methods, 37, 65–70.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dell, G. S., Schwartz, M. F., Martin, N., Saffran, E. M., &Gagnon, D. A. (1997). Lexical access in aphasic and nonaphasic speakers.Psychological Review, 104, 801–838.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Forster, K. I., &Forster, J. C. (2003). DMDX: A Windows display program with millisecond accuracy.Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers, 35, 116–124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geschwind, N. (1969). Problems in the anatomical understanding of the aphasias. In A. L. Benton (Ed.),Contributions to clinical neuropsychology (pp. 107–128). Chicago: Aldine.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glaser, W. R., &Düngelhoff, F.-J. (1984). The time course of picture-word interference.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception & Performance, 10, 640–654.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Head, H. (1926).Aphasia and kindred disorders of speech. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hécaen, H., &Angelergues, R. (1965).Pathologie du langage: l’aphasie. Paris: Larousse.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hotopf, W. H. N. (1980). Slips of the pen. In U. Frith (Ed.),Cognitive processes in spelling (pp. 287–307). New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Houghton, G., &Zorzi, M. (2003). Normal and impaired spelling in a connectionist dual-route architecture.Cognitive Neuropsychology, 20, 115–162.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kandel, S., Álvarez, C. J., &Vallée, N. (2006). Syllables as processing units in handwriting production.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception & Performance, 32, 18–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kučera, H., &Francis, W. N. (1967).Computational analysis of present- day American English. Providence, RI: Brown University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lesch, M. F., &Pollatsek, A. (1993). Automatic access of semantic information by phonological codes in visual word recognition.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, & Cognition, 19, 285–294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levelt, W. J. M., Roelofs, A., &Meyer, A. S. (1999). A theory of lexical access in speech production.Behavioral & Brain Sciences, 22, 1–75.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lupker, S. J., &Katz, A. N. (1981). Input, decision, and response factors in picture-word interference.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Learning & Memory, 7, 269–282.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luria, A. R. (1966).Higher cortical functions in man (B. Haigh, Trans.). London: Tavistock.

    Google Scholar 

  • Luria, A. R. (1970).Traumatic aphasia: Its syndromes, psychology and treatment (D. Bowden, Trans.). The Hague: Mouton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miceli, G., Benvegnù, B., Capasso, R., &Caramazza, A. (1997). The independence of phonological and orthographic lexical forms: Evidence from aphasia.Cognitive Neuropsychology, 14, 35–69.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miozzo, M., &Caramazza, A. (2003). When more is less: A counterintuitive effect of distractor frequency in the picture-word interference paradigm.Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 132, 228–252.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rapp, B., Benzing, L., &Caramazza, A. (1997). The autonomy of lexical orthography.Cognitive Neuropsychology, 14, 71–104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rapp, B., &Caramazza, A. (1997). From graphemes to abstract letter shapes: Levels of representation in written spelling.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception & Performance, 23, 1130–1152.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schriefers, H., Meyer, A. S., &Levelt, W. J. M. (1990). Exploring the time course of lexical access in language production: Picture-word interference studies.Journal of Memory & Language, 29, 86–102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smyth, M. M., &Silvers, G. (1987). Functions of vision in the control of handwriting. Acta Psychologica, 65, 47–64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Starreveld, P. A. (2000). On the interpretation of onsets of auditory context effects in word production.Journal of Memory & Language, 42, 497–525.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Starreveld, P. A., &LaHeij, W. (1995). Semantic interference, orthographic facilitation, and their interaction in naming tasks.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, & Cognition, 21, 686–698.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Galen, G. P. (1991). Handwriting: Issues for a psychomotor theory.Human Movement Science, 10, 165–191.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wheeldon, L. R., &Levelt, W. J. M. (1995). Monitoring the time course of phonological encoding.Journal of Memory & Language, 34, 311–334.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

    Qingfang Zhang

  2. Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Bristol, 12a Priory Road, BS8 1TU, Bristol, England

    Markus F. Damian

Authors
  1. Qingfang Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Markus F. Damian
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Markus F. Damian.

Additional information

This research was supported by International Incoming Fellowship IIF-2007/R1 from the Royal Society to the first author, and by Grant RES-062-23-0729 from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) to the second author.

An erratum to this article is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.3758/MC.38.8.1162.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zhang, Q., Damian, M.F. Impact of phonology on the generation of handwritten responses: Evidence from picture-word interference tasks. Memory & Cognition 38, 519–528 (2010). https://doi.org/10.3758/MC.38.4.519

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/MC.38.4.519

Keywords

  • Stimulus Onset Asynchrony
  • Articulatory Suppression
  • Phonological Code
  • Distractor Word
  • Target Picture