W3 - Word Recognition & Dyslexia Flashcards
Why is reading a critical cognitive skill in modern society?
It conveys most information needed for social and economic participation.
Approx. how many people globally are unable to read/write? (2012)
796 million.
Which country has the highest literacy rate (100%)?
Finland.
What percent of UK 15-year-olds lack basic reading skills?
17%.
Estimated annual cost of low literacy in the UK?
£2 billion.
Name a social issue linked to low literacy.
Depression (others include substance abuse, incarceration, poor health).
What is the first stage of reading?
Visual word recognition.
How many words are estimated to be in the mental lexicon?
60,000–70,000.
Why are high-frequency words recognized faster?
Familiarity speeds up brain retrieval.
What extra process happens for low-frequency words?
Post-lexical checks for fit.
How does ‘Age of Acquisition’ (AoA) impact recognition?
Early-learned words are recognized faster.
What does the boundary change paradigm show about reading?
Parafoveal processing helps anticipate upcoming words.
Which disrupts recognition more: letter substitutions or transpositions?
Substitutions.
By what percentage does a starting letter transposition slow recognition?
36%.
What are morphemes?
Smallest meaningful language units.
Define a prefix with an example.
Morpheme added to root start, e.g., ‘un-‘ in ‘unreal.’
What is a pseudo-affix? Example?
False morpheme structure, e.g., ‘swing’ (not ‘sw’ + ‘ing’).
How are high-frequency compounds (e.g., ‘farmhouse’) processed?
As decomposed parts.
Define semantic richness in words.
More features and imageability speed up recognition.
How does emotional valence affect recognition speed?
Positive/negative meanings boost speed.
How quickly is the next word’s frequency processed during reading?
Within 100 ms.
Key difference between serial and parallel search in recognition?
Serial is sequential; parallel is simultaneous.
What does Forster’s Search Model propose?
Words are searched serially based on frequency.
How does the Logogen Model explain word recognition?
Parallel activation of detectors with varied thresholds.
Which model involves feedback from words to letters?
R&M IAC Model.
What is Nettalk?
A neural network that learns spelling-sound patterns.
In the Dual Route Model, which route is for irregular words?
Lexical route.
Define a pronounceable nonword with an example.
Follows phonetic rules, e.g., ‘chotel.’
What impairment results from damage to the lexical system?
Irregular word reading issues.
What is Surface Dyslexia?
Difficulty reading irregular words post-brain injury.
Typical reading error in phonological dyslexia?
Non-Word Lexicalizations (e.g., ‘hean’ → ‘hen’).
What is semantic paralexia?
Related word substitution (e.g., ‘duel’ → ‘sword’).
How do irregular neighbors affect nonword pronunciation?
They slow reading and increase errors.
What does the DRC model suggest about GPC and whole-word routes?
They ‘race’ to determine pronunciation.
How is dyslexia best understood as a scale?
As a continuum, not a strict cutoff.
Common conditions co-occurring with dyslexia?
ADHD, dysgraphia, dyscalculia.
Primary intervention for dyslexia?
Phonics-based instruction.
Dyslexia therapies lacking evidence?
Sensory-motor and visual treatments (e.g., colored lenses).
Most effective dyslexia intervention approach?
Intensive phonics, word analysis, fluency, and comprehension.
Why is early intervention critical in dyslexia?
To address challenges at a young age.
Name some unsupported dyslexia treatments.
Sensory-motor and visual treatments.
What does the Phonological Deficit Theory suggest about dyslexia?
that Dyslexia stems from poor phonological awareness and slow lexical retrieval.
Which theory proposes two dyslexia deficits?
Double Deficit Theory.
Name the two deficits in Double Deficit Theory.
Phonological and naming-speed.
What reading difficulty links to a naming-speed deficit?
Fluency issues.
What percent of kids with severe dyslexia have both deficits?
54% (Lovett et al., 2000).
Why focus on naming speed in languages like Italian?
Transparent orthographies make reading speed essential.
What does the Magnocellular Deficit Theory suggest?
Dyslexia relates to visual system deficits.
Size difference of magnocells in dyslexia?
27% smaller.
Symptoms of magnocellular dysfunction?
Headaches, eye strain, poor concentration.
Additional role of the cerebellum in reading?
Language-related cognitive skills.
Impact of cerebellar deficits on reading in dyslexia?
May cause timing and balance issues.
Key factors in word recognition?
Frequency, orthography, morphology, semantics, phonology.
Why is the dual route model important?
Explains different word recognition pathways.
Focus of phonological theories in dyslexia?
Phonological awareness deficits.
