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Transfer effects from language processing to visual attention dynamics: The impact of orthographic transparency
Antonio Iniesta1, María Teresa Bajo1, Marta Rivera1
1Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
British Journal of Psychology (London, England : 1953)
|September 19, 2022
Summary
Language transparency influences writing processes. Spanish writing relies on phonological (sound-based) processing, while English writing uses lexical (word-based) strategies, affecting attentional focus during dictation tasks.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Linguistics
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Reading mechanisms differ based on language transparency, influencing processing strategies like lexical or phonological.
- These differences are linked to processing grain size and attentional focus on words or letters.
- This study extends these concepts to writing to dictation, examining attentional processing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how language transparency impacts attentional processing during writing to dictation.
- To compare phonological processing in transparent Spanish with lexical processing in opaque English.
- To examine these effects in monolinguals and bilinguals.
Main Methods:
- Participants (monolinguals and bilinguals) completed a writing to dictation task followed by a global-local task.
- Response times (RTs) were analyzed for modulation by word length, frequency, and age of acquisition.
- Attentional processing efficiency was assessed after tasks in Spanish and English.
Main Results:
- Spanish writing RTs were modulated by word length, indicating phonological processing.
- English writing RTs were modulated by word frequency and age of acquisition, indicating lexical processing.
- Bilinguals adapted their attentional processing based on the orthographic transparency of the language.
Conclusions:
- Language transparency significantly biases writing strategies towards phonological or lexical processing.
- Processing a transparent language (Spanish) enhances local attentional processing.
- Bilinguals demonstrate cognitive flexibility, adapting attentional strategies to orthographic transparency.
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