Phonological priming in German Sign Language
An eye tracking study using the Visual World Paradigm
A number of studies provide evidence for a phonological priming effect in the recognition of single signs based on
phonological parameters and that the specific phonological parameters modulated in the priming effect can influence the robustness of this
effect. This eye tracking study on German Sign Language examined phonological priming effects at the sentence level, while varying the
phonological relationship between prime-target sign pairs. We recorded participants’ eye movements while presenting videos of sentences
containing either related or unrelated prime-target sign pairs, and pictures of the target and an unrelated distractor. We observed a
phonological priming effect for sign pairs sharing handshape and movement while differing in location parameter. Taken together, the data
suggest a difference in the contribution of sign parameters to sign recognition and that sub-lexical features influence sign language
processing.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 1.1Effects of phonological parameters
- 1.2Eye tracking studies in sign languages
- 1.3The present study
- 2.Methods
- 2.1Participants
- 2.2Material
- 2.3Procedure
- 3.Results
- 4.Discussion
- 5.Conclusion
- Acknowledgements
- Notes
-
References
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