Predictor variables of written picture naming in the deaf

Abstract

Studies conducted in recent years on oral and written language production show that the age at which words are learned is the main variable that influences lexical access in both hearing people and people who have suffered brain lesions. No studies have been done with deaf people and, since they use sign language in addition to oral language, differences regarding hearing people might be found in their lexical organization. The aim of this study was to test which variables determine the lexical production of deaf people. For this purpose, 40 deaf people between the ages of 13 and 58 years were asked to write individually the names of 100 pictures. The regression analyses performed on a total of 4000 responses show that the main predictor variable of performance was also age of acquisition. It is concluded that the organization of the lexical system in deaf people is similar to that of hearing people, although the phonological representations of deaf people may be more inaccurate.