Color Cues in Word Perception

Abstract

Abstract. Presents results of 2 matching-to-sample experiments using color cues in Consonant-Vowel-Consonant stimulus words with kindergarten to third grade subjects. Color cues influenced Ss to match according to first letters. When the first letter of each stimulus word was underlined in red, kindergarten and first grade Ss' tendency to match according to first letters was increased; second and third grade Ss' tendency to match according to rhyme was decreased. In the second experiment, when red letters were varied according to letter position, color cues appearing in the first letter position were utilized most frequently by all grades. Control Ss in all grades matched according to the first letter more frequently than the second or third letters, which did not differ.

Children's Learning of Words as a Function of Minimum Contrasts in Variable Letter Positions

“…The finding that children confused words having the same initial consonant more frequently than words with differing initial consonants was in agreement with previous research concerning the importance of the initial letter (e.g., Levin et ah, 1964;Marchbanks & Levin, 1965;Williams et al, 1970;Knafle, 1974;Richardson & Chisholm, 1969;Martin, 1968;Tresselt & Hugo, 1970;Nodine & Hardt, 1968). Since two words elements were held constant in this study, the findings concerning the superiority of children given rhyming words on measures of transfer, recognition, and recall were also in agreement with, and extended, previous research concerning rhyme (Knafle, 1973;Kuenne & Williams, 1973;Groninger & Henley, 1970).…”