Difference at Cognitive Processing Speed of Sentences by Character-types

Basic Study for Development of the Readability Scale of Japanese Texts

Abstract

The present study investigated which is more readable of kanji and hiragana orthography by measuring reaction time and accuracy for sentence correctness decision. 288 sentences were made by using kanji words that were chosen from three kanji levels; 1) level 8 and 9, 2) level 4, and 3) level 1 of the Japanese Kanji Skill Test(Nihon Kanji Nooryoku Kentei). Two task lists for sentence correctness decision were made with orthographic difference of kanji and hiragana for target words. These lists were given to two groups consisted of 16 Japanese native speakers so that each participant may not see the same word. The result showed that in both of positive and negative responses the reaction time of hiragana reading took longer than kanji reading with 1). On the contrary, it was shown that kanji reading needed more time than hiragana reading with 3). It suggests that the words consisted by kanji of level 8 and 9 written in hiragana are more difficult than in kanji and the words consisted by kanji of level 1 written in hiragana are less difficult than in kanji for cognition and processing.