Data_Sheet_1_Ongoing Sign Processing Facilitates Written Word Recognition in Deaf Native Signing Children.docx

Signed and written languages are intimately related in proficient signing readers. Here, we tested whether deaf native signing beginning readers are able to make rapid use of ongoing sign language to facilitate recognition of written words. Deaf native signing children (mean 10 years, 7 months) received prime target pairs with sign word onsets as primes and written words as targets. In a control group of hearing children (matched in their reading abilities to the deaf children, mean 8 years, 8 months), spoken word onsets were instead used as primes. Targets (written German words) either were completions of the German signs or of the spoken word onsets. Task of the participants was to decide whether the target word was a possible German word. Sign onsets facilitated processing of written targets in deaf children similarly to spoken word onsets facilitating processing of written targets in hearing children. In both groups, priming elicited similar effects in the simultaneously recorded event related potentials (ERPs), starting as early as 200 ms after the onset of the written target. These results suggest that beginning readers can use ongoing lexical processing in their native language – be it signed or spoken – to facilitate written word recognition. We conclude that intimate interactions between sign and written language might in turn facilitate reading acquisition in deaf beginning readers.

对于熟练的手语阅读者而言，手语与书面语之间存在紧密的内在关联。本研究旨在探究母语为手语的聋人初学阅读者，能否快速利用当下的在线手语加工过程来促进书面词汇识别。本研究招募了平均年龄为10岁7个月的母语手语聋人儿童，向其呈现以手语词首为启动刺激、书面词汇为靶刺激的启动-靶刺激对。对照组则为阅读能力与聋人儿童匹配的健听儿童（平均年龄8岁8个月），其启动刺激为口语词首。靶刺激为德语书面词汇，要么是德语手语的补全形式，要么是口语词首的补全形式。被试的任务为判断靶刺激词汇是否为合法德语词汇。手语词首能够促进聋人儿童对书面靶刺激的加工，其效果与口语词首促进健听儿童书面靶刺激加工的效果相似。两组被试的同步记录事件相关电位（event related potentials, ERPs）中均出现了相似的启动效应，该效应最早可在书面靶刺激呈现后200毫秒时被观测到。上述结果表明，初学阅读者可利用母语（无论为手语还是口语）中的在线词汇加工过程，来促进书面词汇识别。综上，手语与书面语之间的紧密交互作用，或可促进聋人初学阅读者的阅读习得进程。