In the globalized economy of today, countries compete among each other for tourists, investors or shares in export markets. In order to achieve their goals, they must carefully build and maintain their reputations internationally, much like commercial brands do. This study evaluates the country image of Taiwan in the Czech Republic, and its effect on perception of Made-in-Taiwan products by Czech consumers. For comparative purposes, images and product perceptions of Japan and China are also included in the study. Extra focus is also placed on the impact of consumers’ knowledge of the country on their perception of country image and country products. The data was gathered through an online survey (252 respondents) and the research reveals several important findings. First, the country and product perceptions of Taiwan in the Czech Republic are on average slightly positive to positive, dismissing the negative assessment of the Made-in-Taiwan product label. Second, the knowledge of the Czech people about Taiwan is extremely limited. Third, perception of Taiwan’s country image shows a strong positive correlation with consumers’ subjective and objective knowledge of Taiwan. Fourth, the stereotypical positive image of Japanese products and negative image of Chinese products is confirmed here.

Recent research, that has been focused on recognition memory, has revealed that two processes contribute to recognition of previously encountered items: recollection and familiarity (Aggleton & Brown, 1999; Eichenbaum, 2006; Eichenbaum, Yonelinas, & Ranganath, 2007; Rugg & Yonelinas, 2003; Skinner & Fernandes, 2007; Squire, Stark, & Clark, 2004; Wixted, 2007a; Yonelinas, 2001a; Yonelinas, 2002). The findings of neural correlates of recollection and familiarity lead to the assumption that there are different brain regions activated in either process, but there are, to the best of my knowledge, no studies assessing how these brain regions are working together in a recollection or a familiarity network, respectively. Additionally, there are almost no studies to date, which directly searched for overlapping regions. Therefore, in study I of the current thesis, brain regions associated to both recognition processes are searched investigated. Additionally, a connectivity analysis will search for functional correlated brain activations that either build a recollection or a familiarity network. It is undoubtable that the Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) is strongly involved in synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus (Bramham & Messaoudi, 2005) and there is evidence that a genetic variant of this neurotrophin (BDNF 66Met) is related to poorer memory performance (Egan, et al., 2003). Therefore, in study II of the current thesis, the effect of BDNF Val66Met on recollection and familiarity performance and related brain activations is investigated. Finally, one could summarize, that serotonin, like BDNF, is strongly involved in brain development and plasticity as well as in learning and memory processes (Vizi, 2008). More precisely, there is evidence for alterations in the structure of brain regions, which are known to be involved in emotional memory formation and retrieval, like amygdala and hippocampus (Frodl, et al., 2008; Munafo, Brown, & Hariri, 2008; Pezawas, et al., 2005). One study found an slight epistatic effect of BDNF and 5-HTTLPR on the grey matter volume of the amygdala (Pezawas, et al., 2008). Therefore, in study III, it is investigated if such an interaction effect could be substantiated for the amygdala and additionally revealed for the hippocampus. The results of the current thesis allow further comprehension of recollection, hence episodic memory, and point to a special role of the BDNF in temporal and prefrontal brain regions. Additionally, the finding of an epistatic effect between BDNF and serotonin transporter function point to the need of analyzing interactions between genes and also between genes and environmental factors which reveals more information than the study of main effects alone. In conclusion, analyzing behavioral and neural correlates of episodic memory reveal allowed insights in brain functions that may serve as guideline for future studies in clinical populations with memory deficits, including susceptibility factors such as good or bad environment, as well as promising gene variants that influence episodic memory.

This thesis aims to examine the role that non-instrumental aspects such as aesthetic and emotion play in elderly user interaction with mobile phones. It presents an analysis of the results from in-depth interviews with a selected group of Swedish elderly users, and discusses how the aesthetic experience which they yield in interacting with mobile phones could impact their preference, and their perceived usability of the devices.  A set of mobile phones, different in usability and aesthetic levels were presented to the group of elderly user in order to investigate how they perceive phones attributes, including appearance and general features, and different facets of their user experience, including their motivations of use, the involved emotions, desires, and concerns. The analyses revealed a possible existing correlation between non-instrumental aspects of elderly users’ interaction with mobile phones, and their preference to use those devices. While negative aesthetic experience as a result of social concerns had a strong negative influence on elderly’s perceived usability, and could consequently alter their preference, certain symbolic meanings in interaction such as the tendency to be modern, contributed to perceived ease-of-use & perceived usefulness of the mobile phones. Elderly user’s familiarity or earlier experience with a device or with the technology was found to be a confounding variable. However, in the presence of usability concerns, traditional factors of aesthetic went into the shadow, and therefore had no direct impact on users’ perceived usability of the device. A set of design solutions that would address elderly user’ both instrumental and non-instrumental concern, were proposed.

Essa pesquisa investiga a influência das variáveis físico-espaciais associadas à orientação nos espaços urbanos, a partir da percepção de grupos que diferem quanto ao gênero e grau de familiaridade com o espaço. O objetivo central é fornecer subsídios teóricos que possam auxiliar nas diretrizes de desenho urbano, de modo a garantir a maior facilidade na orientação espacial nos espaços urbanos, além de contribuir para um ambiente urbano de maior qualidade. Adotase a cidade de Santa Maria (RS) como objeto de estudo por constituir, principalmente, uma área onde a concentração de indivíduos com diferentes níveis de familiaridade com o espaço é significativa. Da mesma forma, por possuir espaços heterogêneos em termos das variáveis associadas aos aspectos físico-espaciais que tornam pertinente a comparação entre eles. Os métodos de coleta e análise de dados fazem parte dos utilizados na área de pesquisa Ambiente e Comportamento. Os dados foram obtidos a partir de duas etapas: (1) levantamento de arquivo, entrevistas e mapas mentais, e (2) levantamento físico, questionário e mapas mentais, sendo esta etapa precedida de uma tarefa envolvendo orientação espacial isto é, a realização de um percurso no Centro da cidade. Os resultados dessa investigação demonstram que existem relações evidentes entre os níveis de facilidade de orientação e as variáveis físico-espaciais associadas às características urbanas dos espaços. Primeiramente, fica evidente que a presença de marcos referenciais contribui positivamente para facilitar a orientação espacial. Para determinados espaços, a presença de sinalização, também tende a explicar os níveis de facilidade de orientação. Ademais, os resultados revelam que as medidas sintáticas, tais como, níveis de integração, Relativa Assimetria Real e inteligibilidade são consideradas importantes para as análises sobre navegação no espaço urbano. Espera-se que os dados encontrados despertem o interesse pelo desenvolvimento de outros estudos sobre a relação entre orientação espacial e características urbanas. / This research investigates the influence of the physic-spatial variables associated to orientation in urban spaces, from the perception of groups that differ in gender and degree of familiarity to the space. The central purpose is to provide theoretic knowledge that can suppose urban design guidelines, thus guaranteeing greater easiness at wayfinding in urban spaces, as well as contributing for a higher quality urban atmosphere. It is adopted as study object the city of Santa Maria (RS) for constituting, mainly, an area where the individuals' concentration with different levels of familiarity with the space is significant. Likewise, for containing heterogeneous spaces in terms of the variables associated to the physic-spatial aspects that render the comparison among them pertinent. The collecting methods and analyses of data are part of those used in the field of the research of the Environment and Behavior. The data were obtained through two stages: (1) field survey, interviews and mental maps, and (2) physical survey, questionnaire and mental maps, preceded by a task involving wayfinding, which means the accomplishment of a course Downtown. The results of this investigation show that there are quite evident relations between the easiness of orientation levels and the physic-spatial variables associated to the urban features of the spaces. Initially, it is evident that the presence of marks contributes positively to facilitate the spatial orientation. For certain spaces, the presence of signage also tends to explain the levels of orientation easiness. Moreover, the results reveal that the syntactic measures, such as integration levels, Relative Asymmetry, Real Relative Asymmetry and intelligibility, are considered important for the analyses of navigation in the urban space. It is expected that the found data rouse the interest on the development of other studies about the relationship between spatial orientation and urban characteristics.

Nesta pesquisa, foi investigada a percepção do acervo das edificações de centros históricos a partir da abordagem da área da Percepção Ambiental. O estudo concentrou-se na investigação dos fatores relacionados com assuntos cromáticos que afetam a avaliação estética das edificações de diferentes estilos, e foi realizado através de um estudo de caso. Para tal, foram selecionadas quatro cidades do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul do Brasil - Pelotas, Piratini, Jaguarão e Bagé, com acervo representativo de edificações patrimoniais de três estilos (colonial, eclético e pré-modernista). Para instrumentalizar o estudo das cores, foi definido o conceito de tipologia cromática do estilo histórico, que serviu como base para identificar modelos com atributos cromáticos concretos (correspondentes aos esquemas de cores históricos e não-históricos) que constituíram o objeto principal da investigação. Os três grupos de modelos constituíram os conjuntos apresentados para a avaliação de respondentes, moradores das quatro cidades, familiarizados e não-familiarizados com os contextos estilísticos específicos. Na primeira etapa da pesquisa, foi analisada a avaliação efetuada pelos respondentes em relação às edificações históricas, e a segunda etapa consistiu na avaliação referente aos modelos cromáticos. Foram exploradas as suposições de que (i) a percepção da qualidade estética do ambiente urbano está vinculada à percepção das cores, e que (ii) a policromia é um aspecto relevante para a avaliação das edificações estilísticas nos centros históricos. Os resultados obtidos permitiram chegar a conclusões sobre a relevância da policromia para a qualidade estética dos ambientes históricos. Essa relevância foi verificada através das variáveis formais e simbólicas relacionadas aos modelos cromáticos de estilos diferentes. Especificamente, foram distinguidos os atributos dos modelos de acordo com as características - componente cromático, tipo de estruturação e complexidade de composição das cores -, que proporcionam avaliação positiva e, desse modo, estariam contribuindo para a formação de ambientes esteticamente qualificados em áreas históricas. Através desta pesquisa, foi disponibilizada uma base teórica e metodológica para o estudo das cores no ambiente histórico a partir da abordagem estética adotada na área da Percepção Ambiental, que poderá servir como reforço para a investigação do potencial estético do centro histórico, enfatizando o aspecto formal e o simbólico através do aspecto cromático. Essa contribuição pode servir para a elaboração de diretrizes e proposições de intervenção cromática nas áreas urbanas históricas. / In this study, a perception of a set of buildings in historical centers was studied based on approach of the Environmental Perception. The research was focused on investigation of the factors related to chromatic issues, which affect an esthetic evaluation of the constructions of different styles, and it was performed through the study of the specific sites. For this purpose, four cities of the Rio Grande do Sul state of Brazil were selected - Pelotas, Piratini, Jaguarão and Bagé -, which contain representative sets of the heritage buildings of the three styles (colonial, eclectic and pre-modern). To create the basis for the color study, the concept of the chromatic typology of historical style was defined and used to identify the models with specific chromatic attributes (corresponding to the schemes of historic and non-historic colors) that represented the main object of the investigation. The three groups of stylistic models were presented for evaluation by respondents, residents of the above four cities, familiar and unfamiliar with the specific stylistic contexts. At the first stage of the research, respondents' evaluations of historical buildings were analyzed, and then, at the second stage, their evaluations of chromatic models were treated. The following suppositions were worked out: (i) the perception of esthetic quality of the urban environment is related to the color perception, and (ii) the polychromy is a relevant feature for evaluation of the stylistic buildings in the historical centers. The obtained results allowed us to reach the conclusions about the importance of polychromy for esthetic quality of the historical environments. The polychromy significance was verified through formal and symbolic variables related to chromatic models of different styles. In particular, the following chromatic characteristics - chromatic component, structure type and complexity of color composition - were specified to differentiate the model attributes, which provide a positive evaluation and, in this way, contribute to formation of esthetically qualified environments in historical areas. This research made available a theoretical and methodological basis for study of colors in historical environments involving the use of the esthetic approach adopted in the Environmental Perception, which could be useful as reinforcement for analysis of the esthetic potential of an historical center, emphasizing the formal and symbolic aspects through the chromatic one. This contribution could be helpful for developing the directives and propositions of chromatic intervention in the urban historical sites.

Empirical evidence indicates that companies that reduce information asymmetry by increased voluntary disclosures achieve several benefits, such as lower cost of capital, improved pricing, and liquidity of their shares. Despite the possibility of such benefits, many studies report varying degrees of voluntary disclosure behaviour that is attributable to various factors. Recent studies indicate that investors’ investment horizon has a significant effect on actions taken by management. Companies with predominantly short-horizon investors spend less on research and development, invest in shorter-term projects that are less profitable than longer-term projects, and are more likely to manipulate earnings to meet short-term earnings expectations. This study investigates whether investors’ investment horizon has an effect on the quality of companies’ information environment. Long-horizon investors should be familiar with their investee company’s risks and rewards, using both their own internal information gathering processes and the cumulative information disclosed by management over time. Moreover, over the course of a long-term relationship, they can become familiar with management’s capability to deliver long-term sustainable returns. Long-horizon investors should therefore be less concerned with short-term fluctuations of earnings and management’s public explanations and disclosures thereof. I hypothesise that higher (lower) proportions of long-horizon investors are associated with lower (higher) quality voluntary disclosure. The shareholder familiarity hypothesis was tested in this study, using an ordinary least squares regression. Voluntary disclosures were observed via the channel of companies’ websites. A checklist was compiled of best practices for online investor relations, and content analyses were conducted on the websites of 205 companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Shareholder familiarity was proxied by shareholder stability, measured over nine years. The stability measure was lagged by one year to create a temporal difference between the shareholder profile and disclosure behaviour. I found that companies with a profile of unstable investors that are larger, younger, dual-listed and have a Big4 auditor have higher quality online investor relations practices. The hypothesis of a negative association between shareholder familiarity and voluntary disclosure quality is therefore accepted. This study extends the theory on information asymmetry and voluntary disclosure by providing evidence supporting the argument that investor horizon is a predictor of voluntary disclosure quality. The dictum of more is better does not hold in all scenarios. It is important for financial directors and investor relations officers to establish the investment horizon profile of their respective companies’ shareholders before they embark on extensive disclosure programmes. / Financial Intelligence

Essa pesquisa investiga a influência das variáveis físico-espaciais associadas à orientação nos espaços urbanos, a partir da percepção de grupos que diferem quanto ao gênero e grau de familiaridade com o espaço. O objetivo central é fornecer subsídios teóricos que possam auxiliar nas diretrizes de desenho urbano, de modo a garantir a maior facilidade na orientação espacial nos espaços urbanos, além de contribuir para um ambiente urbano de maior qualidade. Adotase a cidade de Santa Maria (RS) como objeto de estudo por constituir, principalmente, uma área onde a concentração de indivíduos com diferentes níveis de familiaridade com o espaço é significativa. Da mesma forma, por possuir espaços heterogêneos em termos das variáveis associadas aos aspectos físico-espaciais que tornam pertinente a comparação entre eles. Os métodos de coleta e análise de dados fazem parte dos utilizados na área de pesquisa Ambiente e Comportamento. Os dados foram obtidos a partir de duas etapas: (1) levantamento de arquivo, entrevistas e mapas mentais, e (2) levantamento físico, questionário e mapas mentais, sendo esta etapa precedida de uma tarefa envolvendo orientação espacial isto é, a realização de um percurso no Centro da cidade. Os resultados dessa investigação demonstram que existem relações evidentes entre os níveis de facilidade de orientação e as variáveis físico-espaciais associadas às características urbanas dos espaços. Primeiramente, fica evidente que a presença de marcos referenciais contribui positivamente para facilitar a orientação espacial. Para determinados espaços, a presença de sinalização, também tende a explicar os níveis de facilidade de orientação. Ademais, os resultados revelam que as medidas sintáticas, tais como, níveis de integração, Relativa Assimetria Real e inteligibilidade são consideradas importantes para as análises sobre navegação no espaço urbano. Espera-se que os dados encontrados despertem o interesse pelo desenvolvimento de outros estudos sobre a relação entre orientação espacial e características urbanas. / This research investigates the influence of the physic-spatial variables associated to orientation in urban spaces, from the perception of groups that differ in gender and degree of familiarity to the space. The central purpose is to provide theoretic knowledge that can suppose urban design guidelines, thus guaranteeing greater easiness at wayfinding in urban spaces, as well as contributing for a higher quality urban atmosphere. It is adopted as study object the city of Santa Maria (RS) for constituting, mainly, an area where the individuals' concentration with different levels of familiarity with the space is significant. Likewise, for containing heterogeneous spaces in terms of the variables associated to the physic-spatial aspects that render the comparison among them pertinent. The collecting methods and analyses of data are part of those used in the field of the research of the Environment and Behavior. The data were obtained through two stages: (1) field survey, interviews and mental maps, and (2) physical survey, questionnaire and mental maps, preceded by a task involving wayfinding, which means the accomplishment of a course Downtown. The results of this investigation show that there are quite evident relations between the easiness of orientation levels and the physic-spatial variables associated to the urban features of the spaces. Initially, it is evident that the presence of marks contributes positively to facilitate the spatial orientation. For certain spaces, the presence of signage also tends to explain the levels of orientation easiness. Moreover, the results reveal that the syntactic measures, such as integration levels, Relative Asymmetry, Real Relative Asymmetry and intelligibility, are considered important for the analyses of navigation in the urban space. It is expected that the found data rouse the interest on the development of other studies about the relationship between spatial orientation and urban characteristics.

Nesta pesquisa, foi investigada a percepção do acervo das edificações de centros históricos a partir da abordagem da área da Percepção Ambiental. O estudo concentrou-se na investigação dos fatores relacionados com assuntos cromáticos que afetam a avaliação estética das edificações de diferentes estilos, e foi realizado através de um estudo de caso. Para tal, foram selecionadas quatro cidades do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul do Brasil - Pelotas, Piratini, Jaguarão e Bagé, com acervo representativo de edificações patrimoniais de três estilos (colonial, eclético e pré-modernista). Para instrumentalizar o estudo das cores, foi definido o conceito de tipologia cromática do estilo histórico, que serviu como base para identificar modelos com atributos cromáticos concretos (correspondentes aos esquemas de cores históricos e não-históricos) que constituíram o objeto principal da investigação. Os três grupos de modelos constituíram os conjuntos apresentados para a avaliação de respondentes, moradores das quatro cidades, familiarizados e não-familiarizados com os contextos estilísticos específicos. Na primeira etapa da pesquisa, foi analisada a avaliação efetuada pelos respondentes em relação às edificações históricas, e a segunda etapa consistiu na avaliação referente aos modelos cromáticos. Foram exploradas as suposições de que (i) a percepção da qualidade estética do ambiente urbano está vinculada à percepção das cores, e que (ii) a policromia é um aspecto relevante para a avaliação das edificações estilísticas nos centros históricos. Os resultados obtidos permitiram chegar a conclusões sobre a relevância da policromia para a qualidade estética dos ambientes históricos. Essa relevância foi verificada através das variáveis formais e simbólicas relacionadas aos modelos cromáticos de estilos diferentes. Especificamente, foram distinguidos os atributos dos modelos de acordo com as características - componente cromático, tipo de estruturação e complexidade de composição das cores -, que proporcionam avaliação positiva e, desse modo, estariam contribuindo para a formação de ambientes esteticamente qualificados em áreas históricas. Através desta pesquisa, foi disponibilizada uma base teórica e metodológica para o estudo das cores no ambiente histórico a partir da abordagem estética adotada na área da Percepção Ambiental, que poderá servir como reforço para a investigação do potencial estético do centro histórico, enfatizando o aspecto formal e o simbólico através do aspecto cromático. Essa contribuição pode servir para a elaboração de diretrizes e proposições de intervenção cromática nas áreas urbanas históricas. / In this study, a perception of a set of buildings in historical centers was studied based on approach of the Environmental Perception. The research was focused on investigation of the factors related to chromatic issues, which affect an esthetic evaluation of the constructions of different styles, and it was performed through the study of the specific sites. For this purpose, four cities of the Rio Grande do Sul state of Brazil were selected - Pelotas, Piratini, Jaguarão and Bagé -, which contain representative sets of the heritage buildings of the three styles (colonial, eclectic and pre-modern). To create the basis for the color study, the concept of the chromatic typology of historical style was defined and used to identify the models with specific chromatic attributes (corresponding to the schemes of historic and non-historic colors) that represented the main object of the investigation. The three groups of stylistic models were presented for evaluation by respondents, residents of the above four cities, familiar and unfamiliar with the specific stylistic contexts. At the first stage of the research, respondents' evaluations of historical buildings were analyzed, and then, at the second stage, their evaluations of chromatic models were treated. The following suppositions were worked out: (i) the perception of esthetic quality of the urban environment is related to the color perception, and (ii) the polychromy is a relevant feature for evaluation of the stylistic buildings in the historical centers. The obtained results allowed us to reach the conclusions about the importance of polychromy for esthetic quality of the historical environments. The polychromy significance was verified through formal and symbolic variables related to chromatic models of different styles. In particular, the following chromatic characteristics - chromatic component, structure type and complexity of color composition - were specified to differentiate the model attributes, which provide a positive evaluation and, in this way, contribute to formation of esthetically qualified environments in historical areas. This research made available a theoretical and methodological basis for study of colors in historical environments involving the use of the esthetic approach adopted in the Environmental Perception, which could be useful as reinforcement for analysis of the esthetic potential of an historical center, emphasizing the formal and symbolic aspects through the chromatic one. This contribution could be helpful for developing the directives and propositions of chromatic intervention in the urban historical sites.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:46:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2499.pdf: 6093568 bytes, checksum: 2439d3458892a6d73470eba34c28d75d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-04-20 / Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos / The goal of this study was to develop a program of object-playing tasks to teach nameobject relations, and to verify its effects on learning reading and writing. To teach reading participants were exposed to a computerized teaching program based on the stimulus equivalence paradigm. Thirteen students, aged seven to ten years old, participated in both teaching and object-playing tasks. These tasks were organized in three conditions. Condition one (Object) taught objects naming and the second Condition (Ilustration) taught pictures naming. In both conditions, the tasks made use of words that were taught in the reading and writing procedure. The third condition (Control) taught picture naming as well; however, these pictures were different from those used in the teaching program. Nine words were taught, three familiar, three nonfamiliar and three pseudo-words. The object-playing tasks were always completed before the teaching phases that targeted non-familiar and pseudo-words. Four students were assigned to the Object Condition, four were assigned to the Illustration Condition, and five were assigned the Control Condition. A multiple baseline design across words was used for the analysis of individual performances in reading acquisition. The number of assessment sessions varied across participants, from 11 to 54 sessions. This meant that participants had to be exposed to many sessions of retraining. It was observed that, regardless the teaching condition, the number of teaching sessions was fewer for learning familiar words than it was for learning non-familiar and pseudo words, which suggests that familiarity is a relevant variable in the reading acquisition. All participants learned to name the objects or pictures that represented the aimed words of this study, implying that object-playing tasks were efficient to teach the name-object relations. However, the results did not indicate differences between Object and Illustration conditions concerning reading acquisition. These results also suggest that the material format did not have a critical influence on the number of assessment sessions completed by participants. Instead, the critical variable on reading acquisition was the establishment of matching printed to dictated words from which reading emerged. / O objetivo deste estudo foi desenvolver um programa de atividades recreativas para ensino de relações nome-objeto e verificar seus efeitos na aprendizagem de leitura e escrita em um programa informatizado baseado no paradigma de equivalência de estímulos. Treze alunos, com idades entre sete e dez anos, participaram de atividades de ensino informatizadas e de atividades recreativas. Essas atividades foram organizadas em três condições para ensinar a nomeação de objetos (Condição Objetos) ou figuras (Condição Ilustrações) referentes às palavras para as quais eram ensinados os repertórios de leitura e escrita ou ensinar a nomeação de figuras referentes a um conjunto de palavras que não eram empregadas no procedimento de ensino de leitura (Condição Controle). Foram ensinadas nove palavras, três familiares, três nãofamiliares e três pseudo-palavras. Antes dos passos de ensino das palavras nãofamiliares e pseudo-palavras eram realizadas as atividades recreativas. Quatro alunos foram expostos à Condição Objetos, quatro à Condição Ilustrações e cinco alunos à Condição Controle. Para a análise dos desempenhos individuais quanto à aquisição de leitura foi empregado um delineamento de linha de base múltipla entre palavras. O número de passos de avaliações realizados até atingir o critério de 100% de acertos nas tarefas de leitura, nomeação de figuras e leitura com compreensão variou entre os alunos, entre um mínimo de 11 e o máximo de 54 avaliações, o que significa que foi necessária uma grande quantidade de re-treinos. Independente da condição de ensino, a aprendizagem de leitura foi mais rápida para palavras familiares, requerendo mais tempo para palavras não-familiares e mais ainda para pseudo-palavras, confirmando que a familiaridade é uma variável relevante para a aquisição de leitura. Todos os alunos aprenderam a nomear os objetos ou figuras representativos das palavras alvo do estudo, sugerindo que as atividades recreativas foram eficazes no ensino das relações nomeobjeto, mas os resultados não indicaram diferenças na aprendizagem de leitura quanto às condições Objetos ou Ilustrações. Os resultados sugerem que a forma do material não exerceu papel crítico. A variável crítica para a aquisição de leitura continuou sendo o estabelecimento das relações palavra impressa palavra falada das quais derivam a emergência de leitura.

對華語學習者而言，漢字的諸多特性使漢字閱讀成為學習者面臨的難點之一，而華語聲調也是許多學習者在聽和說上的難點。閱讀為連結字形與字音，再對應至字義的過程，因此本文以華語學習者為對象，嘗試找出漢字閱讀與華語聲調之間的關係，以不同形式的聲調標記（tone marker）作為視覺提示及不同熟悉度（word familiarity）的詞彙作為操弄變項，使用眼動儀（eye-tracker）為實驗工具，設計閱讀理解作業，了解聲調標記及詞彙熟悉度對閱讀程度不同的華語學習者在閱讀時的影響。 實驗採完全受試者內設計，操弄三種聲調標記（聲調輪廓、聲調數字及中性刺激）的實驗句呈現方式與實驗句中的目標詞熟悉程度（高、低），記錄閱讀實驗句的眼動資料。實驗共分三階段進行，每一階段受試者需閱讀具相同聲調標記的實驗句，並回答隨機出現的理解題；研究同時輔以中文年級認字量表、LEAP-Q問卷及目標詞理解程度問卷三項工具來評定受試者客觀及主觀上的中文閱讀程度差異，以及主觀對操弄目標詞的理解程度。眼動資料包含整體性、區域性及以實驗句中每個詞為單位分析的三種眼動表現，並以閱讀能力為分析變項，比較閱讀能力高、低兩組眼動表現的異同。 研究發現無論學習者閱讀程度為何，皆可以穩定地看到熟悉度的效果，閱讀高熟悉度詞彙的速度較快，顯示熟悉度影響了閱讀歷程。而聲調標記的效果較不明顯，但是聲調標記對低程度組的影響較大，且在閱讀高熟悉度詞彙時，添加帶有較多資訊的聲調輪廓標記可能是一種干擾，反之在閱讀低熟悉度詞彙時，可以幫助學習者辨識字詞。而在中文年級認字量表的結果中，有部分學習者容易將字唸為含有該字雙字詞的另一個字（蝶唸為蝴），這可能與學習者傾向以詞彙為單位記憶有關，因此本文也在最後進行詞素教學的相關討論，並針對華語學習者提出教學建議。