High-frequency first syllables facilitate name–face association learning

Abstract

It is harder to learn a proper name than a common noun in association with a new face, and low-frequency (LF) or rare surnames are harder to learn than high-frequency (HF) or common surnames. A separate body of research has shown that words containing HF phonological components can be easier to retrieve and produce than words with LF phonological components. This study tested for a “downstream” benefit of increased syllable frequency (independent of name frequency) on name–face association learning: surnames with HF first syllables were predicted to be learned more easily than those with LF first syllables. Participants were tasked with learning 5 names with HF first syllables and 5 names with LF first syllables in association with 10 unfamiliar faces over repeated testing rounds with feedback. People learned more names containing HF than LF first syllables, demonstrating a benefit of increased phonological frequency to name learning. Findings support an interactive activation model that accounts for name–face association learning as well as phonological frequency effects on production, along with many other aspects of memory and language.