In Experiments 3 and 4, event-related potentials were recorded to verify the findings of the first two behavioral experiments. Similarly, Experiment 3 employed the lexical decision task and Experiment 4 used the position decision task. First, results revealed that a series of ERP components (P150, P200, and N400) were found to be related to the effect of position-specific radical frequency when the lexical decision task was used (Experiment 3). However, when replacing the lexical decision task with the position decision task but keeping illegal characters as fillers, the effect of position-specific radical frequency became quite weak, which was only associated with P200 (Experiment 4a). Moreover, when using the position decision task but replacing illegal characters with geometric figures as fillers, there were no effects of position-specific radical frequency any more (Experiment 4b). Second, the task was found to influence the time course for effects of position-free radical frequency, which was reflected by P200 in the lexical decision task (Experiment 3) and by N400 in the position decision task (Experiments 4a and 4b). Finally, simple character frequency could play a role in processing compound characters in which simple characters were used as radicals, but such effect was significant only in the position decision task and it was reflected by a change in N400 (Experiments 4a and 4b). / These findings indicate that position-specific radicals could play a role in character recognition, but this effect appears to be constrained by the task and/or the composition of materials. In contrast, effects of position-free radicals keep stable across different tasks and composition of materials. In addition, the findings also suggest that simple character information could exert influence on compound character processing, but only when characters are processed implicitly (e.g., in the position decision task). Implications of this research and future directions are discussed. / This research was designed to examine the processing of different kinds of radical frequency information, i.e. frequency as a position-free radical, frequency as a position-specific radical, and frequency as a stand alone character. Whether the task or the composition of materials could influence the processing of such information was also examined. The first two were behavioral experiments and results indicated that effect of the position-free radical frequency was stable across the lexical decision task (Experiment 1) and the position decision task (Experiment 2). Effect of the position-specific radical frequency emerged only when the lexical decision task was available (Experiment 1). / Wu, Yan. / Adviser: Hsuan Chih Chen. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 72-04, Section: B, page: . / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 99-108). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract also in Chinese; includes Chinese characters in Appendix A-C.

Due to a scarcity of research on young children’s Chinese character writing development and learning, there is insufficient empirical evidence to support the practices of helping young children learn to write in the context of Hong Kong. Grounded on the views about the nature of Chinese language and from the perspective of emergent literacy, this study looked into young children’s Chinese character writing forms under free writing conditions and focused attention on categorizing the forms and identifies the developmental patterns. In consideration of the purpose of study to pursue a better understanding about the field of study, this study used qualitative methods to research. The design adopted a strategy of multiple-case study, longitudinal approach and qualitative data collection methods. Data analysis employed an inductive and analytical approach incorporating some quantitative techniques to aggregate results in order to generate findings. The categorization of writing forms gave rise to a classification scheme based on aggregated time-order emergences of writing categories. Synthesis of the findings led to identifying the developmental patterns that was framed by a general progression of two-stage development. Under a pattern of gradual change in the two-stage development, variations of writing forms indicated patterns of variability in relation to the stroke, component, and character units of Chinese character, which encompass a range of linguistic features including stroke-order writing. These findings revealed child’s underlying knowledge in Chinese characters, which will be useful for the educational field. The findings contribute to a tentative theory of early Chinese character writing about children demonstrating a gradual progression in two stages embracing individual differences in forms and time of development in early Chinese character writing during the preschool years. Insights derived from the findings of this study enabled the author to discuss the relation of the unique nature and characteristics of Chinese character to children’s learning to write, and point to inadequacies of some current thinking and practices. The thesis ends with educational implications of orthographic-focused Chinese character writing instruction and research implications of the tentative framework of understanding. / published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Education