An experimental study of the effect of language on the reproduction of visually perceived form.

Abstract

Recall of visually perceived form is altered by the fact that a particular word is said immediately before the visual presentation of the form. A list of stimulus figures was presented, each figure being given after one of a pair of words. The words influence perception of figure. The list word, e.g., "eye glasses," is assumed to start certain processes in the organism which are possible because of the experience of the subject with "eye glasses" as word or as object. These physiological processes cause the figure of two visual circles connected by a line to be reproduced in a different manner. If the word "dumbbell" were spoken before this presentation, different processes would be initiated, hence a different reproduction or a new total process would result. The reproduction is a complex total and not either of its component processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)