どうか名前で判断しないでください

Abstract

Processing fluency influences judgment as metacognitive cue. Laham, Koval, & Al- ter (2012) demonstrated name-pronunciation effect whereby easy-to-pronounce (i.e., easy-to-process) names were judged more positively. In their study, however, the “pro- nouncability” was not defined by objective criteria, which may cast doubt on the inter- nal validity of the effect. To overcome this limitation, the present study replicated the name-pronunciation effect by manipulating two objectively defined and well-established pronouncability factors: within-item phonological similarity and phonotactic frequency of the name. Phonological similarity is manipulated by making the constituent morae share the same vowel or not. Phonotactic frequency is defined by a composite score of mora, bi-mora and position-mora frequency. We asked participants to rate impression of names, presenting nonwords as names of foreign person who would come to their of- fice. The result indicated independent effects of phonological similarity and phonotactic frequency with phonologically similar and low phonotactic frequency names being rated negatively. The present study confirmed the internal validity of the name-pronunciation effect in the previous study.