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. 2012 Sep;44(3):862-89.
doi: 10.3758/s13428-011-0175-8.

A normative study of acronyms and acronym naming

Cristina Izura  1 , David Playfoot
Affiliations

A normative study of acronyms and acronym naming

Cristina Izura et al. Behav Res Methods. 2012 Sep.

Abstract

Acronyms are an idiosyncratic part of our everyday vocabulary. Research in word processing has used acronyms as a tool to answer fundamental questions such as the nature of the word superiority effect (WSE) or which is the best way to account for word-reading processes. In this study, acronym naming was assessed by looking at the influence that a number of variables known to affect mainstream word processing has had in acronym naming. The nature of the effect of these factors on acronym naming was examined using a multilevel regression analysis. First, 146 acronyms were described in terms of their age of acquisition, bigram and trigram frequencies, imageability, number of orthographic neighbors, frequency, orthographic and phonological length, print-to-pronunciation patterns, and voicing characteristics. Naming times were influenced by lexical and sublexical factors, indicating that acronym naming is a complex process affected by more variables than those previously considered.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Regression lines between reaction times and printed frequencies for the different types of acronyms
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Regression lines between reaction times and age of acquisition for the different types of acronyms
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Regression lines between reaction times and imageability for the different types of acronyms
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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