This research aimed to study the influence of visual experience on word meaning representation in blind adults. Forty participants (20 blind and 20 sighted) were asked to define 48 words belonging to different lexical categories and experiential domains with different imaginability degree. Results confirmed the literature about substantial similarity of the formal language features between blind and sighted subjects, whereas they evidenced significant differences in word meaning representation with respect to both the kind of sensorial experience and visual impairment degree. In particular, lower performances in colour name definition by blind vs sighted adults emerged and, among blind individuals, by congenitally blind and hypovisual subjects vs acquired blind ; the latter performed in a way more similar to sighted subjects.
ESPERIENZA SENSORIALE E SIGNIFICATO DELLE PAROLE: UNA RICERCA SULLE DEFINIZIONI DA PARTE DI ADULTI CON DISABILITÀ VISIVA
BELACCHI, CARMEN
2010
Abstract
This research aimed to study the influence of visual experience on word meaning representation in blind adults. Forty participants (20 blind and 20 sighted) were asked to define 48 words belonging to different lexical categories and experiential domains with different imaginability degree. Results confirmed the literature about substantial similarity of the formal language features between blind and sighted subjects, whereas they evidenced significant differences in word meaning representation with respect to both the kind of sensorial experience and visual impairment degree. In particular, lower performances in colour name definition by blind vs sighted adults emerged and, among blind individuals, by congenitally blind and hypovisual subjects vs acquired blind ; the latter performed in a way more similar to sighted subjects.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
