The Clock Counts – Length Effects in English Dyslexic Readers

Frontiers in Psychology

article

S. Provazza¹  D. Giofrè²  A.-M. Adams¹  D. J. Roberts³ 

[1] School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom;Department of Education Sciences, School of Social Sciences, University of Genoa;Division of Psychology, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, College of Health and Life Sciences, Brunel University London, United Kingdom

关键词: developmental dyslexia;    word length effect;    dual-route model;    triangle model;    orthography;    triangle model of reading;    reading;    dyslexia;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02495

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

In reading, length effects (LEs) are defined as an increment in the time taken to read as a function of word length and may indicate whether reading is proceeding in an efficient whole word fashion or by serial letter processing. LEs are generally considered to be a pathognomonic symptom of developmental dyslexia (DD) and predominantly have been investigated in transparent orthographies where reading impairment is characterized as slow and effortful. In the present study a sample of 18 adult participants with DD were compared to a matched sample of typical developing readers to investigate whether the LE is a critical aspect of DD in an opaque orthography, English. We expected that the DD group would present with marked LEs, in both words and non-words, compared to typical developing readers. The presence of LEs in the DD group confirmed our prediction. These effects were particularly strong in low frequency words and in non-words, as observed in reading speed. These preliminary findings may have important theoretical implications for current understanding of DD.

【 授权许可】

CC BY