中文「字詞效應」與英文「詞長效應」果真存在嗎？

English Word Length Effects and the Chinese Character-woed Difference Truth or Myth

本研究探討兩種現象之間的關係。一種現象是，中文雙字詞通常表現左腦優勢，而單字較易表現右腦優勢；另一現象是，英文單字所含字母愈多，左腦優勢愈強。實驗一使用中文雙字詞、三字詞、四字詞和五字詞做材料，觀察左、右視界的詞長效應。結果雖然發現了詞長效應，卻沒有腦側化現象。實驗二採用使用率稍高的中文雙字詞與四字詞做材料，雖然觀察到左腦優勢，卻無詞長效應。實驗三使用雙成分與四成分的中文單字做材料，雖然發現了詞長效應與右腦優勢，但兩者間並無交互作用。本研究的結果無法支持Ellis, Young與Anderson（1988）的文字辨認模式，說左、右腦的認字方式不同；也無法支持中文「字詞效應」的確有其事。

This study explored the relationship between two phenomena: greater right visual field (RVF) superiorities for longer English words and the Chinese character-word difference in laterality patterns. Experiment 1 examined the laterality patterns of Chinese 2- to 5-character lower-frequency words and found only a length effect. Experiment 2 examined the laterality patterns of 2- and 4-character higher-frequency words and found only a RVF advantage. Experiment 3 examined the laterality patterns of 2- and 4-component compound characters and found both a length effect and a RVF advantage. The results failed to support Ellis, Young, and Anderson's (1988) model of different modes of word recognition in the two cerebral hemispheres, and questioned the existence of the Chinese character-word difference in laterality patterns.