Abstract
The authors assume that during the visual perception of labelable objects there occurs an implicit labelling which gives rise to a readiness for pronunciation, and that the two phenomena are involved in stimulus processing.
In order to test these assumptions, the duration of eye fixation on drawings representing familiar objects was measured. The data show that on an average this duration was longer when the name for the object required four or five syllables to pronounce than when it required only one syllable. This syllable effect was observed in various experimental conditions where possible effects of other variables could be controlled. The effect was obtained irrespective of whether or not the subjects were allowed to see the drawings before the experiment, and of whether or not they were allowed to go through the list of names for the objects.
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