Children’s prerecall phonetic processing of pictures and printed words

Abstract

Twenty-six second- and third-grade children orally recalled lists of pictures or printed words which contained labial or nonlabial phonemes in their pronunciation. During stimulus presentation and rehearsal, electromyographic (EMG) recordings from the labial area were obtained. Analysis of EMG tracings showed that (1) tracing amplitudes were significantly greater for labial than for nonlabial words; (2) sub vocalization was elicited equally by pictures and words; (3) peak amplitudes for words were significantly greater during rehearsal than during presentation; and (4) there were no differences in the recall scores of subvocalizers and nonsubvocalizers. Findings are discussed in relation to phonetic mediation theory and overt phonetic behavior as a form of oral communication.