The effect of thought structure on the production of lexical movements

This study was designed to test the hypothesis that participants who are expressing a thought that is encoded spatially will use more lexical movements than participants who are expressing a thought that is encoded textually. The 37 participants were divided into two groups and instructed to either watch a cartoon or read a description of the cartoon. Their video-taped responses were analyzed for the frequency and laterality of both lexical and motor movements. Members of the video group did use more lexical movements than members of the written group, and the right hand was dominant in the production of lexical movements made by members of both groups. These data support the theory that lexical movements are integrally related to the speech production process.