Imageability effects in single-word naming in a transparent alphabetic orthography.

The aim of the current experiments is to examine imageability effects on single word naming using the atypically transparent Turkish writing system. Evidence for imageability effects has been reported in naming high and low frequency opaque words in Persian (Baluch & Besner, in review) and for low frequency, irregular words in English and for poor level of skill where print to sound translation is assumed to be slow, error prone and inefficient (Strain & Herdman, 1999; Strain, Patterson & Seidenberg, 1995). It is thus of interest to examine whether imageability has an impact on word naming insofar as the transparent Turkish orthography is concerned where there is no irregularity. The critical manipulation was the the level of reading skill of participants (skilled and previously skilled). This was investigated in two naming experiments manipulating 40 high and 40 low frequency word stimuli factorially with imageability (high and low). In experiment 1, 24 previously skilled adult readers of Turkish performed on the naming task who showed no evidence for word imageability. A significant word frequency effect, however, was found. In experiment 2, 44 adult skilled readers of Turkish named the same stimuli as in experiment 1. The results showed a significant frequency effect while a null effect was reported for imageability. Implications of findings are discussed in relation to othe orthographies and orthographic transparency.

Also referenced in Proceedings of the Psychological Society. Vol 9, no 2, 2001.