Standardization of Japanese Script Types and Studies on its Cognitive Psychological Validity

Research Project

Project/Area Number	04610082
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Research Field	Psychology
Research Institution	Kwansei Gakuin University
Principal Investigator	KAN Kashu Kwansei Gakuin University School of Humanities Professor, 文学部, 教授 (20090730)
Project Period (FY)	1992 – 1993
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 1993)
Budget Amount *help	¥1,600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,600,000) Fiscal Year 1993: ¥300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥300,000) Fiscal Year 1992: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000)
Keywords	Japanes script type / Subjective frequency of script type / Frequency-of-occureence / Cognitive validity / Readng latency / Inidental recognition memory / Anagram solution task / SD Technique / 漢字 / ひらがな / カタカナ / 語としての熟知性 / 主観的出現頻度 / 音読反応時間 / 偶発再認
Research Abstract	1. The investigatin was performed to establish the normative data on subjective frequencies of Japanese script types(Kanji, Hiragan, and Katakana). Materials were 750 nouns and pronuns. Students rated each word written by Kanji, Hiragana, or Katakana, respectively, about the three degrees of frequency of seeing in daily life. Some procedures were also introduced to examine the reliability of ratings. As a result of analyzing the highest oint scores of ratings, (1)Reliability of ratings was confirmed, (2)Each word was classified into the ten types, and (3)More words to be often written by Kanji (e.g.Kanjitype) ere found in the words in the hgher frequency-of-occurrence as a word. 2. Three studies were carried out to examine the cognitive validity of subjective frequency of script types. (1)In the study on the influences of script type of word on the reading latency and recognition memory of the word, (〕SY.encircled1.〔)Reading latency in the Hiragana script was not diffrent between the script types, and reading time in the Kanji script was the same level as in the Hiragana script in case of Kanji-type and Kanji-Hiragana-type words. (〕SY.encircled2.〔)Incidental recognition memory wa better at the presentation by Kanji script than by Hiragana script. (2)Students solved the anagram-solving taskas which were made by Hiragana or Katakana script. The rersults were as follows : (〕SY.encircledT.〔)he speed of solving the anagram of Kanji-type word was slower than that of Hiragana-and Katakana-type words. (〕SY.encircled2.〔)The solving was easier at Hiragana script in Hiragana-tye words and at Katakana script in katakana-Type words than at the reversed. (3)Students rated the impressions of "Haiku" per se on some SD scales after "Kigo" in the Haiku was presented by three script types, respectively. The result was that some different ratings were found in case of Hiragana script from in case of Kanji and Katakana scripts.