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Writing dictated words and picture names: Syllabic boundaries affect execution in Spanish

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 April 2009

CARLOS J. ÁLVAREZ ,
DAVID COTTRELL  and
OLIVIA AFONSO
CARLOS J. ÁLVAREZ*
Affiliation:
Universidad de la Laguna
DAVID COTTRELL
Affiliation:
James Cook University
OLIVIA AFONSO
Affiliation:
Universidad de la Laguna
*
ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE Carlos J. Álvarez, Departamento Psicología Cognitiva, Social y Organizacional Facultad de Psicología, Campus de Guajara, Universidad de La Laguna, 38205-S/C de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Two experiments examined the role of syllables in writing Spanish words. In Experiment 1, participants had to write single words that were aurally presented. The interletter intervals (ILIs) between critical letters were measured. Longer ILIs were found in the intersyllabic than the intrasyllabic condition. In Experiment 2, the inputs were pictures to remove any potential phonological bias stemming from the input stimulus. Results suggested that the linguistic nature of the input is not determining the output. Post hoc analyses revealed that other characteristics of the stimuli cannot explain the results. These results indicate that syllables are essential units of processing in writing Spanish and that central processes related to spelling and the graphemic buffer affect peripheral processes at movement execution.

Type
Articles
Information
Applied Psycholinguistics , Volume 30 , Issue 2 , April 2009 , pp. 205 - 223
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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