Visual processing of names in mental rotation tasks

Abstract

In this study, we examined the difference in the processing of one’s own name and other people’s names using a mental rotation task. In Experiment 1, the observer’s own name and other common names were presented visually. In Experiment 2, the observer’s name and the names of people who were familiar to the observer were presented. The observer saw the name and judged whether it was mirror-reversed or not. The results show that reaction times and error rates were shorter, when the observer processed his/her own name compared to when processing others names. These findings might be due to peculiarities and familiarity of one’s own name.