The categorization process involves the use of a priori information to speed up the identification of an object. However, the question of the nature of the influence of global and local elements of a priori stimulation on the speed and accuracy of recognition of subsequent information still remains debatable. In order to determine the specificity of the categorization processes it was made the comparison of children with typical language development (30 children), and children with mental retardation and general underdevelopment of speech of four levels: 1 - 24 children; 2 - 22 children; 3 - 22 children; 4–12 children (mean age 6.5±0.4 years).
With the help of priming paradigms, the effect of anticipating visual stimulation on the recognition rate of test objects was investigated depending on the interval between the test and prime stimuli. As test stimuli, figures of animals and drawings of blots of different configurations were used. Combined figures containing test stimuli were presented as prime stimuli, one as a common global image element, the second as an embedded local image element. As a prime stimulus, we used combined figures containing two test stimuli, one as a common global figure element, the second as an embedded local figure element.
The results allowed to establish that in children with typical language development there is a facilitating effect of anticipating global information on the time of identification of visual objects, regardless of the complexity of their categorization. In children with language impairments, analysis of variance showed a significant dependence of the priming effect and the facilitating effect of the time recognition from the level of language development. At the same time, children, whose speech included only simple sentences, narrowed the time window of the facilitating effect. In children who are able to pronounce individual words, a priori information did not affect the speed of identification of drawings of blots. In children with the absence of verbal communication, there was a complete lack of influence of a priori information on the recognition of subsequent information.
The results obtained allow us to state that the categorization processes depends on the type of a priori information, the recognizable object and the level of language development.
The study was founded RFBR, project No. 17-06-00644.