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PSYCHOSEMANTIC RESEARCH IN VISUAL PERCEPTION OF CROSS-LINGUISTIC SOUND-ICONISM BY RUSSIAN SPEAKERS OF ENGLISH: A LINGUISTIC PERSPECTIVE // Tomsk State Pedagogical University Bulletin. 2018. Issue 4 (193). P. 147-153

Beginning with a brief survey of the latest developments in the field of phonosemantics the article looks into psychological basis of sound iconism by investigating the reactions of Russian speakers to English sound-iconic words. The experiment with the use of the Lexical Decision method is described and the results are tabled. The subjects – 90 Russian learners of English at different proficiency levels – were asked to identify as words or non-words stimuli of three types: a) sound-iconic English words, b) non-iconic (neutral) English words and c) quasi-words. All stimuli were presented visually in random sequences in a compressed time frame. The criteria for selecting the stimuli were thoroughly elaborated. The results of the experiment show a statistically veritable delay in identifying the sound-iconic stimuli as words. It remained constant, regardless of the English language proficiency level of the participants. Presumably, the cognitive complexity of the task increased because of a certain interference between the two ways of information processing: abstract-conceptual and sensory-symbolic. This influenced the speed and accuracy of word recognition. Another factor leading to errors might stem from the fact that the sound forms of the English visual stimuli, as they were reproduced by the subjects in their inner speech, did not coincide with their associations in Russian, which made them «think twice» before answering.

Keywords: sound-iconism, lexical decision, psychosemantics, phonosemantics, Russian-English bilinguals, visual perception

Russian iconic words visual perception, taking into account the neurocognitive profile // Tomsk State Pedagogical University Bulletin. 2023. Issue 4 (228). P. 7-16

The article presents the results of Russian iconic words visual perception, taking into account the neurocognitive profile of the participants and using the “Lexical Solution” method in participants with a right-handedness and left-handedness. The procedure of psychosemantic research was carried out according to the classical scheme of “Lexical decision” in the paradigm of making a decision about a semantic stimulus as a word or not a word with a limited time to choose. Each participant was presented with three types of stimuli: sound-imitative (SI) words, divided into 4 groups according to the stages of deiconization or loss of iconicity (32 words – 8 from each group), non-SI words (32), non-words (64) in random order. During the test, the following series of indicators were recorded: the time of identification, the number of identification errors, the number of delays. The experimental session was preceded by a training session, during which 10 words and non-words were presented in random order. Also within the framework of this research, classical methods of assessing the neurocognitive profile of the participants were used. Based on the analysis of the results of the study, it can be concluded that respondents with left-handedness are characterized by rigidity and weak automation of cognitive functions, impulsivity, a wider range of equivalence. Participants with a leading left hand also, were more likely to give incorrect answers in the samples “SI-1”, “SI-3” and “non word”, spend more time and more often do not have time to give an answer to the SI-stimulus compared to right-handed respondents. At the same time, subjects with a leading right-hand visual perception of sound-forming words are more often more accurate than subjects with left-handers. The conducted study indicates statistically significant differences in the accuracy and speed of recognition of DI stimuli of different types in people who are right-handed or left-handed. The results obtained require additional clarifications on a larger sample to confirm the available data, which may be the next stage of the study.

Keywords: left-handedness, neurocognitive profile, psychosemantics, sound acuity, lexical solution