Sentence Orientation and Semantic Processing Speed: Applicability to Label Design

Abstract

Sentence orientation and category size were examined using a sentence verification task to determine whether the rotation of sentences would influence semantic processing. A total of 28 participants were asked to read sentences presented with five levels of rotation (−90, −45, 0, +45, +90) and two category sizes (small & large). A significant difference in the speed of sentence verification was found for sentence orientation. As the degree of rotation increased the time taken to process the sentences increased; this was especially true for vertically aligned sentences (oriented at ±90 degrees). The category size variable did not yield a significant main effect. The findings of this study may have direct implications for the positioning of labels on consumer products with varying orientations.

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