The Effect of Learning Chinese Characters Combined with Dongba Script on Young Children's Memory of Chinese Character Forms
This study examines how learning Chinese characters through Dongba pictographs affects preschoolers' memory for character orthography, using a task-dissociation paradigm with three learning methods: characters alone, characters paired with pictures, and characters paired with Dongba script. Experiment 1 used a recognition task (study, interference, immediate test, delayed test phases) with 80 preschoolers assigned to four groups. Results showed the Dongba-character group significantly outperformed the picture-character and character-only groups on both immediate and delayed recognition tests; immediate recognition exceeded delayed recognition, and nouns were recognized better than verbs. Experiment 2 used a preference-judgment task to assess implicit memory, finding the Dongba-character group showed significantly greater implicit priming than other groups at both test intervals, with no significant difference between immediate and delayed priming, and nouns showing stronger priming than verbs. Overall, Dongba script markedly facilitates preschoolers' character-form memory, attributable to its pictographic/ideographic nature, structural similarity to Chinese characters, and compatibility with young children's cognitive characteristics.
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