Review of Comparison of Sign Language and Spoken Language Memory Spans and Its Enlightenment
This paper reviews and compares the relevant studies on sign language and spoken language memory spans,and the evidence from multiple groups shows that:smaller memory span of sign language only occurs in short-term memory tasks,but not extending to complex working memory tasks;smaller memory span of sign language only occurs in short-term sequential memory tasks,while the memory spans are comparable between signed and verbal language in free recall tasks;less sign language span compared to verbal language in short-term sequential memory task perhaps occurs due to many reasons,such as shorter maintenance in sensory memory for visual information than hearing information,higher phonological similarity in sign language,longer rehearsal time for signs,and more complex short-term memory coding in sign language. This study is beneficial not only in clarifying the difference and sources in memory span between sign language and verbal language,but also deepening the understanding on the nature of short-term memory span task and its rationality in diagnosing,evaluating and intervening the cognitive abilities between the deaf and the hearing. A"difference"rather than"gap"standpoint is more advisable in understanding the"deaf deficit notion"and the specific processing characteristics between sign language and spoken language,as well as between the deaf and the hearing.
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