Phonology can help or hurt the perception of print

Prosody affects visual perception in polysyllabic words: Evidence from a letter search task

Previous research has shown that phonology influences the visual perception of a word's letters. However, the influence of prosody, including word stress, on grapheme perception in polysyllabic words is poorly investigated. The present study addresses this issue with a letter search task. Participants searched for vowel letters (Experiment 1) and consonant letters (Experiment 2) in stressed and unstressed syllables of bisyllabic words. Results reveal facilitated vowel letter detection in stressed syllables compared with unstressed syllables, indicating that prosodic information affects visual letter perception. Moreover, an analysis of the response time distribution revealed that the effect was present even for the fastest decisions but increased for slower response times. However, no systematic stress effect emerged for consonants. We discuss possible sources and dynamics of the observed pattern and the importance to accommodate feedback processes of prosody on letter perception in models of polysyllabic word reading.

Orthography-phonology consistency in English: Theory- and data-driven measures and their impact on auditory vs. visual word recognition

Research on orthographic consistency in English words has selectively identified different sub-syllabic units in isolation (grapheme, onset, vowel, coda, rime), yet there is no comprehensive assessment of how these measures affect word identification when taken together. To study which aspects of consistency are more psychologically relevant, we investigated their independent and composite effects on human reading behavior using large-scale databases. Study 1 found effects on adults' naming responses of both feedforward consistency (orthography to phonology) and feedback consistency (phonology to orthography). Study 2 found feedback but no feedforward consistency effects on visual and auditory lexical decision tasks, with the best predictor being a composite measure of consistency across grapheme, rime, OVC, and word-initial letter-phoneme. In Study 3, we explicitly modeled the reading process with forward and backward flow in a bidirectionally connected neural network. The model captured latent dimensions of quasi-regular mapping that explain additional variance in human reading and spelling behavior, compared to the established measures. Together, the results suggest interactive activation between phonological and orthographic word representations. They also validate the role of computational analyses of language to better understand how print maps to sound, and what properties of natural language affect reading complexity.

Effects of Phonological and Orthographic Neighbourhood Density Interact in Visual Word Recognition

The present study investigated the role of phonological and orthographic neighbourhood density in visual word recognition. Three mechanisms were identified that predict distinct facilitatory or inhibitory effects of each variable. The lexical competition account predicts overall inhibitory effects of neighbourhood density. The global activation (familiarity) account predicts overall facilitatory effects of neighbourhood density. Finally, the cross-code consistency account predicts an interaction, with inhibition of phonological neighbours in sparse orthographic regions and facilitation of phonological neighbours in dense orthographic regions. In Experiment 1 (lexical decision), a cross-over interaction was indeed found, supporting the prediction of the cross-code consistency account. In Experiment 2, this cross-over interaction was exaggerated by adding pseudohomo-phone stimuli (e.g., brane) among the nonword targets. Finally, in Experiment 3 (progressive demasking), we tried to shift the balance between inhibitory and facilitatory mechanisms by using a perceptual identification task. As predicted, the inhibitory effects of phonological neighbourhood were amplified, whereas the facilitatory effects disappeared. We conclude that the level of compatibility across co-activated orthographic and phonological representations is a major causal factor underlying this pattern of effects.

Ein modalitätsspezifisches Wortgedächtnis ist ausreichend: Wortgedächtnismodalität bei Leseanfängern und Neuronalen Netzen 1Dieser Beitrag wurde unter der geschäftsführenden Herausgeberschaft von Jens Möller angenommen

Zusammenfassung. Wortstruktureffekte besagen, dass bekannte Buchstabenfolgen von vertrauten Worten einfacher zu erinnern und leichter zu lesen sind, als weniger bekannte oder neue Buchstabenfolgen von seltener auftretenden Worten. Es ist daher einleuchtend, dass eine quantitative Zunahme an neuer Wortstruktur den Leseschwierigkeitsgrad vorhersagt. Z. B. sind Zahlworte leichter zu lesen als Reimworte mit neuem Wortanfang, und Reimworte sind wiederum leichter zu lesen als Nicht-Worte mit neuer Buchstabenfolge. Deutsche Leseanfänger zeigten jedoch nicht diesen häufig zu beobachtenden Wortstruktureffekt beim Lesen ( Lange-Küttner, 2005 ). Hängt dies möglicherweise damit zusammen, dass sie eine Prävalenz des auditorischen Gedächtnisses beim Lesen haben ( Gathercole & Baddeley, 1993 )? Es wurde daher bei englischsprachigen und deutschen Kindern der Zusammenhang des Lesens mit dem Wortstruktureffekt im auditiven vs. visuellen Wortgedächtnis analysiert. Während der Wortstruktureffekt im visuellen Gedächtnis bei allen Kindern vorhanden war, zeigte er sich im auditiven Gedächtnis nur bei den früh eingeschulten britischen Kindern. Lesen war mit dem visuellen Wortgedächtnis bei den englischsprachigen Kindern korreliert, jedoch mit dem auditiven Wortgedächtnis bei den deutschen Kindern. Auch neuronale Netze brauchten nur ein Arbeitsgedächtnis. Mögliche Auswirkungen der Selektivität des Arbeitsgedächtnisses auf das Lesen, sowie Folgen von unimodaler und bimodaler Wortrepräsentation bei Kindern und in neuronalen Netzen werden erörtert.

Pseudohomophone effects provide evidence of early lexico-phonological processing in visual word recognition

Previous research using event-related brain potentials (ERPs) suggested that phonological processing in visual word recognition occurs rather late, typically after semantic or syntactic processing. Here, we show that phonological activation in visual word recognition can be observed much earlier. Using a lexical decision task, we show that ERPs to pseudohomophones (PsHs) (e.g., ROZE) differed from well-matched spelling controls (e.g., ROFE) as early as 150 ms (P150) after stimulus onset. The PsH effect occurred as early as the word frequency effect suggesting that phonological activation occurs early enough to influence lexical access. Low-resolution electromagnetic tomography analysis (LORETA) revealed that left temporoparietal and right frontotemporal areas are the likely brain regions associated with the processing of phonological information at the lexical level. Altogether, the results show that phonological processes are activated early in visual word recognition and play an important role in lexical access.

Congruency effects in the letter search task: Semantic activation in the absence of priming

Semantic priming is typically eliminated when participants perform a letter search on the prime, suggesting that semantic activation is conditional upon one's attentional goals. However, in such studies, semantic activation (or the lack thereof) is not measured during the letter search task itself but, instead, is inferred on the basis of the responses given to a later target. In the present study, direct online evidence for semanticactivation was tested using words whose meaning should bias either a positive or a negative response (e.g.,present vs. absent). In Experiment 1, a semantic congruency effect was obtained, with faster responses when the word meaning matched the required response. Experiment 2 replicated the congruency effect while, simultaneously, showing the elimination of semantic priming. It is concluded that letter search does not affect the initiation of semantic activation. Possible accounts for the elimination of priming following letter search include activation-based suppression and transfer-inappropriate processing.

The role of orthography in speech production revisited

The language production system of literate adults comprises an orthographic system (used during written language production) and a phonological system (used during spoken language production). Recent psycholinguistic research has investigated possible influences of the orthographic system on the phonological system. This research has produced contrastive results, with some studies showing effects of orthography in the course of normal speech production while others failing to show such effects. In this article, we review the available evidence and consider possible explanations for the discrepancy. We then report two form-preparation experiments which aimed at testing for the effects of orthography in spoken word-production. Our results provide clear evidence that the orthographic properties of the words do not influence their spoken production in picture naming. We discuss this finding in relation to psycholinguistic and neuropsychological investigations of the relationship between written and spoken word-production.

Becoming literate in different languages: similar problems, different solutions

The teaching of reading in different languages should be informed by an effective evidence base. Although most children will eventually become competent, indeed skilled, readers of their languages, the pre-reading (e.g. phonological awareness) and language skills that they bring to school may differ in systematic ways for different language environments. A thorough understanding of potential differences is required if literacy teaching is to be optimized in different languages. Here we propose a theoretical framework based on a psycholinguistic grain size approach to guide the collection of evidence in different countries. We argue that the development of reading depends on children's phonological awareness in all languages studied to date. However, we propose that because languages vary in the consistency with which phonology is represented in orthography, there are developmental differences in the grain size of lexical representations, and accompanying differences in developmental reading strategies across orthographies.

Wortformgedächtnis als intuitive Statistik in Sprachen mit unterschiedlicher Konsistenz

Zusammenfassung. Die Ergebnisse einer Reihe von sprachvergleichenden experimentellen Studien zur Funktionsweise des Wortformgedächtnisses werden vor dem Hintergrund nonlinearer dynamischer Computermodelle der visuellen Worterkennung zusammengefasst. Insgesamt stützen diese Befunde die allgemeine Hypothese, dass das Wortformgedächtnis sich sensibel an die statistischen Regelmäßigkeiten des Schriftsprachsystems anpasst. Insbesondere wird gezeigt, dass nicht die (binäre) Regelmäßigkeit einer Schriftsprache, sondern ihre graduelle Konsistenz die Worterkennungsleistung mitbestimmt.

Reading Acquisition, Developmental Dyslexia, and Skilled Reading Across Languages: A Psycholinguistic Grain Size Theory

The development of reading depends on phonological awareness across all languages so far studied. Languages vary in the consistency with which phonology is represented in orthography. This results in developmental differences in the grain size of lexical representations and accompanying differences in developmental reading strategies and the manifestation of dyslexia across orthographies. Differences in lexical representations and reading across languages leave developmental "footprints" in the adult lexicon. The lexical organization and processing strategies that are characteristic of skilled reading in different orthographies are affected by different developmental constraints in different writing systems. The authors develop a novel theoretical framework to explain these cross-language data, which they label a psycholinguistic grain size theory of reading and its development.

Neural mechanisms underlying semantic and orthographic processing in Chinese-English bilinguals

Brain activation underlying language processing in Chinese-English bilinguals was examined using fMRI in an orthographic search and a semantic classification task. In both tasks, brain areas activated by Chinese characters and English words were very similar to tasks examining Chinese reading using Chinese pinyin (an alphabetic Chinese script) and Chinese characters. However, the degree of later-alization was different, with English words (second language) causing much more right hemisphere activation than Chinese characters (native language). These differences support the hypothesis that second language usage causes more right hemisphere activation than native language usage.

The role of orthographic and phonological codes in the word and the pseudoword superiority effect: an analysis by means of multinomial processing tree models

Central to the current accounts of the word and the pseudoword superiority effect (WSE and PWSE, respectively) is the concept of a unitized code that is less susceptible to masking than single-letter codes. Current explanations of the WSE and PWSE assume that this unitized code is orthographic, explaining these phenomena by the assumption of dual read-out from unitized and single-letter codes. In this article, orthographic dual read-out models are compared with a phonological dual read-out model (which is based on the assumption that the 1st unitized code is phonological). From this phonological code, an orthographic code is derived, through either lexical access or assembly. Comparison of the orthographic and phonological dual read-out models was performed by formulating both models as multinomial processing tree models. From an application of these models to the data of 2 letter identification experiments, it was clear that the orthographic dual read-out models are insufficient as an explanation of the PWSE, whereas the phonological dual read-out model is sufficient.

In the beginning was the rhyme? A reflection on Hulme, Hatcher, Nation, Brown, Adams, and Stuart (2002)

Phonological sensitivity at different grain sizes is a good predictor of reading acquisition in all languages. However, prior to any explicit tuition in alphabetic knowledge, phonological sensitivity develops at the larger grain sizes-syllables, onsets, and rimes-in all languages so far studied. There are also developmental differences in the grain size of lexical representations and reading strategies across orthographies. Phoneme-level skills develop fastest in children acquiring orthographically consistent languages with a simple syllabic (CV) structure, such as Finnish and Italian. For English, however, both "large" and "small" units are important for the successful acquisition of literacy.

Loss of rapid phonological recoding in reading Hanja, the logographic script of Korean

The role that recent experience has in the processing of Korean Hanja characters was investigated in two masked priming experiments. Two groups of Korean native speakers that differed in their recent exposure to Hanja were asked to name single Hanja characters (targets) that were immediately preceded by masked presentations of the same characters (repetition priming), Hanja characters that were homophones of the target (homophone priming), or unrelated characters (baseline). The results showed that the group that had been less recently exposed made more errors and were slower than the group that had been the more recently exposed. Furthermore, there was no character homophone priming for the less recently exposed group, although they did show a robust repetition priming effect. On the other hand, the more recently exposed group showed both strong character repetition and homophone priming effects. We suggest that regular exposure to characters supports their rapid and automatic processing. It is argued that the different patterns of priming for the two groups were due to how rapidly the orthographic and phonological information of the prime could be resolved.

Modulating semantic feedback in visual word recognition

According to the interactive activation framework proposed by McClelland and Rumelhart (1981), activation spreads both forward and backward between some levels of representation during visual word recognition. An important boundary condition, however, is that the spread of activation from lower to higher levels can be prevented (e.g., explicit letter processing during prime processing eliminates the well-documented semantic priming effect). Can the spread of activation from higher to lower levels also be prevented? This question was addressed with a choice task procedure in which subjects read a prime word and then responded to a target, performing either lexical decision or letter search depending on the color of the target. A semantic context effect was observed in lexical decision, providing evidence of semantic-level activation. In contrast, there was no semantic context effect in the letter search task, despite evidence of lexical involvement: Words were searched faster than nonwords. Further evidence of lexical involvement in the letter search task appeared in Experiment 2 in the form of greater identity priming for words than for nonwords. The results of these experiments are consistent with the conclusion that feedback from the semantic level to the lexical level can be blocked. Hence, between-level activation blocks can be instantiated in both bottom-up and top-down directions.

The /O/ in OVER is different from the /O/ in OTTER: phonological effects in children with and without dyslexia

First-letter naming was used to investigate the role of phonology in printed word perception in children with and without dyslexia. In 2 experiments, all children showed faster first-letter-naming times in a congruent condition than in an incongruent condition, which suggests that phonology is a fundamental constraint in the printed word perception of readers of all levels and all skills. An explanation in terms of a recurrent network put forward by G. C. Van Orden and S. D. Goldinger (1996) is discussed to account for the apparent paradox in the reading behavior of readers with dyslexia, that is, that in first-letter naming, dyslexic readers appear to show phonological congruity effects, whereas in pseudoword reading, their phonological knowledge appears to be deficient or absent.

Visual and phonological codes in letter and word recognition: evidence from incremental priming

Critical issues in letter and word priming were investigated using the novel incremental priming technique. This technique adds a parametric manipulation of prime duration (or prime intensity) to the traditional design of a fast masked priming study. By doing so, additional information on the time course and nature of priming effects can be obtained. In Experiment 1, cross-case letter priming (a-A) was investigated in both alphabetic decision (letter/non-letter classification) and letter naming. In Experiment 2, cross-case word priming was investigated in lexical decision and naming. Whereas letter priming in alphabetic decision was most strongly determined by visual overlap between prime and target, word priming in lexical decision was facilitated by both orthographic and phonological information. Orthographic activation was stronger and occurred earlier than phonological activation. In letter and word naming, in contrast, priming effects were most strongly determined by phonological/articulatory information. Differences and similarities between letter and word recognition are discussed in the light of the incremental priming data.

Nonstrategic subjective threshold effects in phonemic masking

Three backward-masking experiments demonstrated that the magnitude of the phonemic mask reduction effect (MRE) is a function of subjective threshold and that the magnitude is also independent of stimulus-based response strategies. In all three experiments, a target word (e.g., bake) was backward masked by a graphemically similar nonword (e.g., BAWK), a phonemically similar nonword (e.g., BAIK), or an unrelated control (e.g., CRUG). Experiments 1 and 2 had a low percentage (9%) of trials with phonemic masks and differed only in baseline identification rate. Experiment 3 controlled baseline identification rate at below and above subjective threshold levels, with 9% phonemic trials. The results were that identification rates were higher with phonemic masks than with graphemic masks, irrespective of the low percentage of phonemic trials. However, the magnitude of the phonemic MRE became large only when the baseline identification rate was below subjective threshold. The pattern of the phonemic MRE was interpreted as a result of rapid automatic phonological activation, independent of stimulus-based processing strategies.

Simulating individual word identification thresholds and errors in the fragmentation task

This article presents a large-scale study that collected word identification thresholds and errors in the fragmentation task for all four-letter French words. In the first part of this article, we identify some of the variables (e.g., word frequency, neighborhood size, letter confusability) that affect performance in the fragmentation task. In the second part, we analyze individual response performance and identify different response strategies. We demonstrate that the interactive activation model can account for individual response strategies by adapting two of its original parameters: word-letter feedback and letter-word inhibition. In the third part, we demonstrate that the adaptation of the interactive activation model to the fragmentation task makes it possible to successfully simulate a facilitatory frequency effect on identification thresholds, an inhibitory neighborhood size effect on error rates, and an inhibitory letter confusability effect on identification thresholds. When the task-specific processes of the fragmentation task are specified and individual response strategies are considered, the interactive activation model provides a parsimonious architecture for modeling the task-independent processes involved in word perception.