Home > Research > Publications & Outputs > Memory for faces and objects by deaf and hearin...
View graph of relations

Memory for faces and objects by deaf and hearing signers and hearing nonsigners.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/MagazineJournal articlepeer-review

Published
<mark>Journal publication date</mark>07/1998
<mark>Journal</mark>Journal of Psycholinguistic Research
Issue number4
Volume27
Number of pages17
Pages (from-to)481-497
Publication StatusPublished
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Abstract

The memory of 11 deaf and 11 hearing British Sign Language users and 11 hearing nonsigners for pictures of faces of and verbalizable objects was measured using the game Concentration. The three groups performed at the same level for the objects. In contrast the deaf signers were better for faces than the hearing signers, who in turn were superior to the hearing nonsigners, who were the worst. Three hypotheses were made: That there would be no significant difference in terms of the number of attempts between the three groups on the verbalizable object task, that the hearing and deaf signers would demonstrate superior performance to that of the hearing nonsigners on the matching faces task, and that the hearing and deaf signers would exhibit similar performance levels on the matching faces task. The first two hypotheses were supported, but the third was not. Deaf signers were found to be superior for memory for faces to hearing signers and hearing nonsigners. Possible explanations for the findings are discussed,including the possibility that deafness and the long use of sign language have additive effects.