Logographeme independence and character frequency effect : a behavioral and event-related potential study

Abstract

The logographeme has been suggested to be a functional sub-lexical processing unit in Chinese output processing during writing (Han, Zhang, Shu, & Bi, 2007; Law & Leung, 2000). The study investigates whether the logographeme is also represented during Chinese character recognition, and aims to establish its time course during the recognition process using both behavioral and event-related potential (ERP) measures. Characters were manipulated by logographeme independence (free-standing vs. non free-standing) and character frequency (high vs. low) and 34 typical adults were recruited to participate in a lexical decision task. Electrophysiological results showed a significant P1 sensitivity to logographeme independence in which non free-standing logographemes elicited a greater positivity. No significant logographeme effects were found at the N170, P200 and N400 components. The study provides evidence that logographemes are processed at the early orthographic visual analysis stage and thus are functional units in Chinese character recognition. Based on theoretical models of Chinese character recognition, it is proposed that logographemes are represented between the level of strokes and radicals (Perfetti, Liu, & Tan, 2005; Taft, Zhu, & Peng, 1999).