In sum, the three studies suggest that, on one hand, Chinese compound words, particularly the opaque ones, seem to be represented as holistic orthographic units in the mental lexicon. On the other hand, the meanings of the component morphemes are activated in visual recognition of Chinese compound words, suggesting a decomposed access. The implications of these results for a model of Chinese compound word representation and access, as well as the dispute between morpho-orthographic and morpho-semantic decomposition accounts of morphological processing in other languages, were discussed. / Study 2 adapted the transposed-letter similarity effect in English (Forster, Davis, Schoknecht, & Carter, 1987; Acah & Perea, 2008) into transposed-character similarity effect in Chinese to further examine the orthographic representation of Chinese compound words. Study 2 examined the processing of both transposable and untransposable compound words to distinguish the decomposed account (which assumes morpheme-to-word activation) and the holistic account (which assumes activation of word-level orthographic representation) of the mental representation of Chinese compound words. It was found that transposable word-word pairs (e.g., [special characters omitted], means tie in English-[special characters omitted], means lead in English) did not produce significant priming effects. This result is inconsistent with the decomposed account, but is explicable in terms of the holistic account. Two follow-up experiments show that the transposed-character similarity effects differ for transparent (e.g., [special characters omitted], means proud in English) and opaque words (e.g., [special characters omitted], means careless in English). Transposed nonwords show significant facilitation effect to the original words when the original words were opaque (e.g., [special characters omitted]) but not when they were transparent words (e.g., [special characters omitted]). It suggests that opaque words are more likely than transparent words to be represented as orthographic wholes. The findings of word-level orthographic representation and the influence of semantic transparency provide convergent evidence for the conclusions reached by Study 1. / The first two studies are concerned with whether Chinese two-character compound words have decomposed or holistic orthographic representations in the mental lexicon. Study 1 made use of the high frequency orthographic neighbor inhibition effect (Grainger & Jacobs, 1996; Davis & Lupker, 2006) in the masked priming paradigm. It was found that a high frequency orthographic neighbor (e.g., [special characters omitted] means virtually in English) inhibited recognition of a low frequency target word (e.g., [special characters omitted], means brief in English). The high frequency orthographic neighbor inhibition effect was supposed to be caused by lexical competition between prime and target words (Grainger & Jacobs, 1996). Therefore, the observation of inhibition in Study 1 suggests that the prime words have word-level representations that compete with those of target words for lexical access. It is argued that the activated word-level lexical representation is likely to be orthographic representation, rather than phonological and semantic representations, because the influence of phonology was found to be limited in a follow-up experiment, and the semantic relatedness between the prime and target words was low. Furthermore, because the inhibition effects were stronger for semantically opaque than transparent compound words, it seems that opaque words are more likely than transparent words to be represented as unitary units. / The third study investigated whether or not the meaning of a component morpheme would be activated in the process of recognizing a Chinese two-character compound word. Current accounts of morphological processing disagree on whether morphological processing is form then meaning, or form with meaning (Feldman, O'Connor, & Del Prado Martin, 2009; Davis & Rastle, 2010). The focus of the debate is actually whether morpheme meaning activation occurs at early stage of compound word processing. This study attempted to contribute to that debate by trying to dissociate morphological processing of form and meaning. The method was to investigate masked priming effects produced by prime-target pairs that contained a pair of semantically related morphemes but without any overlap in orthography, phonology or whole-word meaning (e.g., [special characters omitted] /surprised in English/-[special characters omitted]/break one's promise in English/). Since there was no overlap between the prime and the target in form, any priming effects produced could be attributed unequivocally to activation of morpheme meaning (e.g., [special characters omitted], both means eat in English). The results of Study 3 show that morpheme meaning activation without form overlap occurred as early as the first 60ms of word processing. This finding is more consistent with the form-with-meaning than the form-then-meaning account. / This dissertation reports on three studies of the cognitive representations and processes in visual recognition of Chinese two-character compound words. Because Chinese two-character compound words are composed of two spatially separated characters which themselves are words, there has been a debate about whether these words are represented and processed in the mental lexicon as unitary wholes or as combinations of the component characters (Zhang & Peng, 1992; Taft & Zhu, 1995). / Zhang, Lingyan. / Advisers: Yujing Ni; Ling-po Shiu. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 73-07(E), Section: A. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2011. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 142-153). / 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. / Abstract also in Chinese; includes Chinese.

Li Hong. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 133-142). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese.

O reconhecimento de palavras isoladas é uma habilidade básica e preliminar ao desenvolvimento da leitura fluente. No leitor hábil esse processo encontra-se automatizado. Parte das dificuldades de leitura está relacionada ao desenvolvimento inadequado das habilidades de decodificação (reconhecimento de palavras) que pode ter origem em dificuldades específicas do aprendiz, mas também nas metodologias e materiais utilizados no ensino da leitura e escrita. Assim, o propósito deste estudo foi analisar os efeitos de uma técnica de coloração silábica sobre o desempenho em leitura de palavras e pseudopalavras de alunos em processo de alfabetização. O método utilizado consistiu em um estudo experimental com delineamento cruzado (crossover). Uma amostra de 77 crianças do segundo ano de uma escola estadual de ensino fundamental foi submetida ao Teste TCLPP para identificação do nível inicial de leitura dos participantes. Em seguida, estes foram distribuídos, de forma balanceada - em função do nível de leitura - em dois grupos (G1 e G2) e submetidos ao teste de leitura de palavras e pseudopalavras (LPI) com e sem uso da técnica de coloração silábica. O G1 (n=37) leu inicialmente as palavras com as sílabas coloridas, alternadas em vermelho e azul. Após um período de washout, o mesmo grupo leu as palavras em preto e branco. O Grupo 2 (n=40) foi submetido à apresentação do material na ordem inversa. Procedeu-se a análise de variância ANOVA 2 X 2 para as comparações entre e intra-grupos, considerando os valores médios de acertos de palavras e tempo de leitura, mediante estatística descritiva e inferencial para crossover. Verificou-se a eficácia da técnica de coloração silábica sobre o desempenho em leitura dos participantes como um todo (amostra total), com diferenças estatisticamente significantes entre os grupos; o efeito de período (maiores escores na 2ª leitura da LPI) interferiu significativamente na eficácia do tratamento, tanto no escore total como em todas as categorias de palavras: regulares, irregulares e pseudopalavras. Considerando o nível de leitura dos participantes, as análises comparativas indicaram maior eficácia da técnica para os leitores com maiores dificuldades. Os resultados do tempo de leitura apresentaram maiores efeitos de período para os bons leitores, indicando a influência da repetição do teste (tempos menores para a 2ª leitura). Para os leitores regulares, o efeito da interação (tratamento vs período) apresentou-se mais significativo do que o efeito de período. O nível de proficiência dos leitores também interferiu no tempo de leitura com os melhores leitores apresentando tempo de leitura significativamente mais baixo. O uso da técnica de coloração silábica impulsionou o mecanismo de recodificação fonológica facilitando o desempenho na leitura de palavras e pseudopalavras em crianças em processo de alfabetização. Esse efeito foi maior no desempenho dos participantes com habilidades de leitura menos desenvolvidas. O efeito da repetição do teste contribuiu para o armazenamento ortográfico das palavras na memória. Conclui-se que o uso do destaque silábico pode ser uma estratégia eficaz na elaboração de material didático para o ensino da leitura, particularmente para o desenvolvimento das habilidades de reconhecimento de palavras em crianças no início da alfabetização e daquelas com dificuldades específicas de leitura / The recognition of isolated words is a basic and preliminary skill in the development of fluent reading. In the skilled readers this process is automated. Part of the reading difficulties is related to the inadequate development of the decoding skills (word recognition) that can originate in specific learning difficulties, but also in the methodologies and materials used in teaching reading and writing. Thus, the purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of a syllabic coloring technique on the performance of reading words and pseudowords of students in the literacy process. The method used consisted of an experimental study with crossover design. A sample of 77 children from the second degree of a state elementary school was submitted to the TCLPP Test to identify the initial reading level of each participant. Then, they were distributed in two groups (G1 and G2), in a balanced way according to the level of reading, and submitted to the test of reading of words and pseudowords (LPI) with and without the use of the syllabic coloring technique. The G1 (n = 37) initially read the words with the colored syllables, alternating in red and blue. After an interval around of 13 days, the same group read the words in black and white. Group 2 (n = 40) was submitted to the presentation of the material in the reverse order. ANOVA 2 X 2 analysis was performed for comparisons between- and within-subjects factors considering the mean values of word hits and reading time, using descriptive and inferential statistics for crossover. The efficacy of the syllabic staining technique on the reading performance of the participants as a whole (total sample) was verified, with statistically significant differences between the groups; the effect of period (higher scores in the second reading of LPI) significantly interfered in treatment efficacy both in the score of total hits and in all categories of words: regular, irregular and pseudowords. Considering the level of reading of the participants, the comparative analyzes indicated a greater efficacy of the technique for the readers with greater difficulties. The reading time results presented higher period effects for the good readers, indicating the influence of the repetition of the test (smaller times for the second reading). For the regular readers, the interaction effect (treatment vs period) was more significant than the period effect. The proficiency level of the readers also interfered in the reading time with the best readers presenting significantly lower reading time. The use of the syllabic coloring technique boosted the phonological recoding mechanism facilitating the performance in reading of words and pseudowords in children in the literacy process. This effect was greater in the performance of participants with less developed reading skills. The effect of the repetition of the test contributed to the orthographic storage of words in memory. In conclusion, the use of syllabic highlighting can be an effective strategy in the elaboration of didactic material for teaching reading, particularly for the development of word recognition abilities in children at the beginning of literacy and those with specific reading disabilities

本文研究兩位粤英雙語兒童的詞彙發展，當中以研究他們的名詞及動詞發展模式為主。在過往關於兒童詞彙發展的文獻中，很多學者均對於名詞傾向(noun bias)是否屬於普遍存在(universal)的現象，存着不少的討論。大部份學者於英語等語言中發現此名詞傾向，並認為是由於名詞概念對兒童而言較為明顯及容易掌握的緣故。然而，在普通話及粤語等語言中，學者並未能找出此名詞傾向，並認為原因是這些語言的結構特徵都比較強調動詞，例如代名詞省略(pro-drop)等。本文透過語料庫，追蹤性研究兩位粤英雙語兒童的詞彙發展，並把結果與相應的單語兒童作比較，從而討論詞類傾向的跨語言共性(universality)及語言特定(language-specific)的因素，以及在詞彙發展中的跨語言互動(cross-linguistic influence)。 / 本文的研究結果，顯示了在兒童的詞彙發展中，名詞傾向屬於語言特定(language-specific)的現象，而非所有語言的共性。在整段由1;06至3;00追蹤期之中，單語及雙語兒童的英語詞彙發展均持續地出現了名詞傾向的現象，而這現象並沒有在粤語中出現。英語的名詞比例平均維持在60%以上，英語名詞也發展得比動詞快。相反，在整段追蹤期之中，粤語的名詞比例均比英語的小。語言特定的因素(language-specific factors)，包括零論元是否被認可(licensing of null arguments)，以及名詞及動詞的詞彙化模式(lexicalization patterns of nouns and verbs)，能以解釋為何名詞傾向能在英語中找到，而不能在粤語中找到。 / 另外，本研究也發現粤英雙語兒童的詞彙發展中的跨語言互動(cross-linguistic influence)，他們粤英之間的名詞及動詞對應詞(translation equivalents)收窄了這兩種語言之間在名詞及動詞比例上的差異。英語方面，比例上，雙語兒童比單語兒童獲得更多動詞。由於粤語的語言結構特徵較強調動詞，因此雙語兒童首先獲得很多粤語動詞，這促使他們獲得這些動詞的英語對應詞(English equivalents)，從而降低了其英語名詞比例。而粤語方面，比例上，雙語兒童比單語兒童獲得更多名詞。由於英語的語言結構特徵較重視名詞，因此雙語兒童首先獲得很多英語名詞，這促使他們獲得這些名詞的粤語對應詞(Cantonese equivalents)，從而提升了其粤語名詞比例。 / This thesis investigates the lexical development in two Cantonese-English bilingual children, focusing on the developmental patterns of their nouns and verbs. In the literature, a controversial issue centres on whether the noun bias is universal in children’s lexical development. Many researchers have found a noun bias in English and other languages, and attributed it to the advantage that the concepts encoded by nouns are easier and more salient for children. However, the noun bias was not observed in children acquiring languages like Mandarin and Cantonese, and some researchers have attributed this to properties of these languages including pro-drop which favour verbs. We conduct a longitudinal corpus-based study of two bilingual children in comparison with their monolingual counterparts, to address the issues of universality and language-specific effects of word category bias and cross-linguistic influence at the lexical level. / The findings show evidence that the noun bias is language-specific but not universal in the lexical development of children. A noun bias was consistently shown in English but not in Cantonese for both monolingual and bilingual children throughout the period of investigation from 1;06 to 3;00. In English, the proportion of nouns to nouns + verbs remained greater than 60% on average and nouns always developed faster than verbs. In contrast, whereas the proportion of nouns to nouns + verbs in Cantonese remained lower than that in English for the entire period of investigation. We argue that language-specific factors such as the licensing of null arguments and the lexicalization patterns of nouns and verbs can account for the differences in the occurrence of noun bias in children’s lexical development in English and Cantonese. / Evidence for cross-linguistic influence is also observed in the lexical development in Cantonese-English bilingual children. Their translation equivalents for nouns and verbs between English and Cantonese narrow the differences in the proportion of nouns and verbs between these two languages. In English, the bilingual children acquired proportionately more verbs than their monolingual counterparts. Having acquired many verbs first in Cantonese, a pro-drop language which favours verbs, facilitated the bilingual children’s acquisition of the English equivalents of these verbs, leading to a decrease in the proportion of nouns to nouns + verbs in English. In Cantonese, the bilingual children had a greater proportion of nouns than their monolingual peers. Having acquired many nouns first in English, a non-pro-drop language which favours nouns, facilitated the bilingual children’s acquisition of the Cantonese equivalents of these nouns, resulting in the increase in the proportion of nouns to nouns + verbs in Cantonese. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Shum, Ka Yee. / "December 2012." / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2013. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 161-168). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts also in Chinese; includes Chinese. / Abstract --- p.i / Acknowledgements --- p.v / List of Tables --- p.viii / List of Figures --- p.x / List of Abbreviations --- p.xii / Table of Contents --- p.xiii / Chapter Chapter 1: --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- The “noun bias“ in early lexical development --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- Definition of word categories --- p.2 / Chapter 1.2.1 --- Differences in the distinction of word categories across languages --- p.2 / Chapter 1.2.2 --- Definitions of nouns and verbs --- p.3 / Chapter 1.3 --- Defining the “noun bias“ --- p.5 / Chapter 1.3.1 --- Criteria for “noun bias“ in the acquisition --- p.5 / Chapter 1.3.2 --- Criteria for “noun bias“ in this thesis --- p.7 / Chapter 1.4 --- Issues in bilingual lexical development --- p.9 / Chapter 1.5 --- Organization of the thesis --- p.11 / Chapter Chapter 2: --- Issues in Early Lexical Development --- p.14 / Chapter 2.1 --- Gentner’s (1982) claim: The noun bias is universal --- p.14 / Chapter 2.1.1 --- Natural Partitions Hypothesis --- p.14 / Chapter 2.1.2 --- Relational Relativity Hypothesis --- p.15 / Chapter 2.1.3 --- Gentner’s study of monolingual children acquiring six languages (1982) --- p.16 / Chapter 2.1.4 --- Gentner and Boroditsky’s study of Navajo-speaking children (2009) --- p.17 / Chapter 2.1.5 --- Other studies of monolingual children in favour of the noun bias --- p.19 / Chapter 2.2 --- Tardif’s (1996) claim: The noun bias is language-specific --- p.21 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- Tardif’s studies of monolingual children acquiring Chinese languages (1996, 2006b, 2008) --- p.21 / Chapter 2.2.2 --- Other monolingual studies arguing against the noun bias --- p.27 / Chapter 2.2.3 --- Factors leading to the non-existence of a noun bias --- p.29 / Chapter 2.3 --- Reasons for conflicting results --- p.34 / Chapter 2.3.1 --- Different methods of sampling children’s vocabulary data --- p.34 / Chapter 2.3.2 --- Different ages of the children --- p.35 / Chapter 2.4 --- Previous cross-linguistic longitudinal studies in lexical development --- p.36 / Chapter 2.4.1 --- Liu’s comparative study of lexical development in English, Mandarin and Cantonese (2007) --- p.37 / Chapter 2.4.2 --- Dhillon’s comparative study of lexical development in English, Spanish and Mandarin (2010) --- p.38 / Chapter 2.5 --- Previous studies of lexical development in bilingual children --- p.39 / Chapter 2.5.1 --- Bilingual studies involving two European languages --- p.40 / Chapter 2.5.2 --- Bilingual studies involving an European language and an Asian language --- p.41 / Chapter 2.6 --- Research Questions --- p.44 / Chapter Chapter 3: --- Hypotheses and Methodology --- p.46 / Chapter 3.1 --- Universality of early noun advantage --- p.46 / Chapter 3.2 --- Language-specific properties in relation to lexical category bias --- p.47 / Chapter 3.3 --- Cross-linguistic influence --- p.49 / Chapter 3.3.1 --- Cross-linguistic influence in the domain of syntax --- p.49 / Chapter 3.3.2 --- Cross-linguistic influence in the domain of lexicon --- p.50 / Chapter 3.3.3 --- Language dominance --- p.51 / Chapter 3.4 --- Methodology --- p.52 / Chapter 3.4.1 --- Subjects --- p.53 / Chapter 3.4.2 --- The monolingual and bilingual data --- p.56 / Chapter 3.4.3 --- Classification of nouns and verbs in Cantonese and English --- p.57 / Chapter 3.4.4 --- Data analysis --- p.68 / Chapter 3.5 --- Summary --- p.73 / Chapter Chapter 4: --- Results and Discussion --- p.74 / Chapter 4.1 --- Lexical composition in early English --- p.75 / Chapter 4.1.1 --- Number of noun types and verb types and N/(N+V) ratios in English --- p.75 / Chapter 4.1.2 --- Number of noun tokens and verb tokens in English --- p.76 / Chapter 4.1.3 --- Cumulative nouns and verbs in English --- p.77 / Chapter 4.1.4 --- Differences between Cantonese-English bilingual children and the monolingual English-speaking child --- p.79 / Chapter 4.1.5 --- Comparison between Cantonese-dominant and English-dominant bilingual children --- p.84 / Chapter 4.1.6 --- Summary --- p.84 / Chapter 4.2 --- Lexical composition in early Cantonese --- p.85 / Chapter 4.2.1 --- Number of noun types and verb types and N/(N+V) ratios in Cantonese --- p.85 / Chapter 4.2.2 --- Number of noun tokens and verb tokens in Cantonese --- p.87 / Chapter 4.2.3 --- Cumulative nouns and verbs in Cantonese --- p.88 / Chapter 4.2.4 --- Differences between Cantonese-English bilingual children and the monolingual Cantonese-speaking child --- p.91 / Chapter 4.2.5 --- Comparison between Cantonese-dominant and English-dominant bilingual children --- p.95 / Chapter 4.2.6 --- Summary --- p.99 / Chapter 4.3 --- Translation equivalents of nouns and verbs in Cantonese-English bilingual children --- p.100 / Chapter 4.3.1 --- English nouns and verbs with Cantonese equivalents --- p.100 / Chapter 4.3.2 --- Cantonese nouns and verbs with English equivalents --- p.104 / Chapter 4.3.3 --- Summary --- p.109 / Chapter 4.4 --- Comparison of lexical composition between Cantonese and English of the bilingual children --- p.109 / Chapter 4.4.1 --- Proportion of nouns to verbs on the basis of word types and cumulative development --- p.110 / Chapter 4.4.2 --- Language-specific considerations in early lexical development --- p.113 / Chapter 4.4.3 --- Summary --- p.124 / Chapter 4.5 --- Analysis of morphological and syntactic markings on nouns and verbs in Cantonese-English bilingual children --- p.124 / Chapter 4.5.1 --- Morphological and syntactic markings on English nouns and verbs --- p.125 / Chapter 4.5.2 --- Morphological and syntactic markings on Cantonese nouns and verbs --- p.130 / Chapter 4.5.3 --- Summary --- p.141 / Chapter 4.6 --- Summary of major findings --- p.141 / Chapter Chapter 5: --- Conclusions --- p.145 / Chapter 5.1 --- Conclusions --- p.145 / Chapter 5.2 --- Limitations and suggestions for further research --- p.147 / Appendices --- p.149 / Chapter Appendix 1: --- Translation equivalents for nouns and verbs in Cantonese-English bilingual children --- p.149 / Chapter Appendix 2: --- Total tokens of five most frequent nouns and five most frequent verbs produced by each child in each language --- p.160 / References --- p.161

All current theories of spoken word recognition (e.g., Allopenna et al., 1998; McClelland & Elman, 1986; Norris, 1994) suggest that any part of a target word triggers activation of candidate words. Visual world paradigm studies have relied on the linking hypothesis that the probability of looking at the referent of a word directly tracks the word’s level of activation (e.g., Allopenna et al., 1998). However, how much information is needed to trigger a saccade to a visual representation of the word’s referent? To address this question, the present study manipulated the number and location of shared segments between the target and competitor words. Experimental evidence is provided by two visual world paradigm experiments on Japanese, using natural and synthesized speech. In both experiments, cohort competitor pictures were not fixated more than unrelated distractor pictures unless the cohort competitor shares the initial CVC with the target. Bayesian analyses provide strong support for the null hypothesis that shorter overlap does not affect eye movements. The results suggest that a listener needs to accumulate enough evidence for a word before a saccade is generated. The human data were validated by an interactive computational model (TRACE: McClelland & Elman, 1986). The model was adapted to Japanese language to examine whether the TRACE model predicts competitor effects that fit human data. The model predicted that there should be effects when words share any amount with a target which confirms the current theory. However, the model did not fit the human data unless there is longer overlap between words. This indicates that eye movements are not as closely tied to fixation probabilities of lexical representations as previously believed. The present study suggests that looking at a referent of a word is a decision, made when the word’s activation exceeds a context-specific threshold. Subthreshold activations do not drive saccades. The present study conclude that decision-making processes need to be incorporated in models linking word activation to eye movements.

While recorded speech audiometry materials have been developed in Spanish for adults, currently there are no speech audiometry materials available in Spanish that are suitable for a pediatric population. Thus, the purposes of this study were (a) to analyze Spanish bisyllabic words previously developed for adults to determine the words' appropriateness when testing word recognition scores in native Spanish-speaking children and (b) to compare the logistic regressions results from the Spanish adult data obtained in a previous study with the logistic regressions from Spanish pediatric data obtained in the present study. Using common-use children's dictionaries in the Spanish language, a subset of child-appropriate words was adapted from a set of materials developed for Spanish adults. A total of 129 frequently used bisyllabic words were chosen; the words were split into five lists; four lists contained 26 words and one list contained 25 words; each was digitally recorded by both male and female Spanish talkers. Twenty native Spanish-speaking children with normal hearing between the ages of four and eight years were selected to listen to words to obtain psychometric functions. Each word was presented to the listener at 5 levels of intensity from -5 to 35 dB HL in increments of 10 dB. Custom software was used to control randomization, timing, and presentation of the words. The participants were not familiarized with the words prior to testing. The words received a ranked order based on performance to create lists and half-lists that were equivalent. Logistic regression was used to calculate psychometric functions for the lists and half-lists. Subsequently, a chi-square analysis was completed. The analysis revealed no statistical differences among the lists and half-lists for either male or female talkers. The mean bisyllabic psychometric function slopes for lists and half-lists were 5.0%/dB for the male-talker words and 5.2%/dB for the female-talker words. The 50% threshold for male and female were 16.2 dB HL and 15.5 dB HL, respectively.

The purpose of this study was to develop, digitally record, evaluate, and psychometrically equate a set of Arabic monosyllabic word lists to use in the measurement of the word recognition score. Familiar Arabic monosyllabic words were digitally recorded by a native male talker from Jordan who was judged to have a standard Arabic dialect. Twenty native Arabic participants with normal hearing were used as subjects to determine the percentage of correct word recognition for each word at 10 intensity levels ranging from -5 to 40 dB HL in 5 dB increments. The monosyllabic word data were analyzed using logistic regression. The words producing the steepest psychometric function were included in the final word lists. Four lists of 50 words each were created and eight half-lists (25 words each) were created from the four lists. A Chi-square analysis was performed, revealing no statistical differences among the lists and half-lists. The mean monosyllabic psychometric function slopes at 50% for lists and half-lists were 4.8%/dB.

Within recent decades speech audiometry materials have been developed in various languages in order to more accurately identify and evaluate hearing impairment in native speakers. This advantage, however, is not available to native Cebuano speakers. The purpose of this study was to develop, digitally record, evaluate, and psychometrically equate a set of Cebuano bisyllabic word lists for use in measuring word recognition ability. This process began with recording 260 commonly used bisyllabic Cebuano words by a native speaker noted for his quality and pleasantness of speech in his native tongue. These recordings were then evaluated by 20 normally hearing native Cebuano listeners (21 to 63 years old). Of these words, 200 were selected and then divided into 4 lists of 50 bisyllabic words and 8 half-lists of 25 bisyllabic words. Statistical analysis of the word recognition materials found no significant difference among the lists or half-lists. The mean psychometric function slope at 50% for the bisyllabic word lists and half-lists is 7.3%/dB. The mean 50% threshold for the lists was 19.7 dB HL (SD = 0.1dB). Adjustments were not necessary. The results of the current study are comparable to those found in other languages. Digital recordings of the bisyllabic word lists are available on compact disc.

During word learning, many words are associated with many meanings to build a lexicon. A model by McMurray et al. (2012) suggests that vocabulary acquisition may not only depend on building correct associations, but also pruning incorrect ones. Additional evidence for the importance of pruning comes from a word learning analog in pigeons, where the opportunity for pruning incorrect associations between objects and symbols was manipulated during training (Roembke et al., 2016). To investigate pruning in humans, we conducted six supervised word learning experiments. Participants were first trained to link two objects to each word, and subsequently were tested how quickly these were pruned. Across experiments, association strength was measured by using either eye movements to to-be pruned objects, or a post-training accuracy assessment. Learners showed rapid—though potentially not complete—pruning of incorrect associations, but this depended on whether the symbols were auditory words, orthographic words or non-linguistic symbols. Thus, this dissertation provides first evidence that pruning is operative during word learning. We also examined how newly learned words compete against known words for recognition using eye-tracking and found that despite very high accuracy these words were not strong competitors.

This study looks at English as a Second Language (ESL) students• use of vocabulary learning strategies and whether use of specific strategies is related to success in vocabulary recall and comprehension tests. The primary part of the study focuses on the hypothesis that phonological practice with new words will aid long-term recall and comprehension of these words. An empirical experiment with an experimental and control group was designed to test this hypothesis. The secondary section of the study discusses how often subjects reported using the vocabulary learning strategies categorized by Rebecca Oxford in Language Learning Strategies: What Every Teacher Should Know. In addition, it researches possible correlations between use of these strategies, and scores on subsequent vocabulary recall and comprehension tests. Finally, this study describes how a representative group of students actually apply specific strategies to their vocabulary learning.