International audiencePrevious research has repeatedly revealed evidence for morpho-orthographic priming effects in suffixed words. However, evidence for the morphological chunking of prefixed words is sparse and ambiguous. The goal of the present study was to directly contrast the processing of prefixed and suffixed pseudowords within the same experiment. We carried out a masked primed lexical decision experiment, in which the same target (AMOUR [LOVE]) was preceded by a prefixed (preamour [prelove]), a nonprefixed (brosamour [broslove]), a suffixed (amouresse [lovedom]), and a nonsuffixed (amourugne [lovedel]) prime. The results revealed significant priming across all four conditions. Moreover, priming was modulated by individual differences in reading proficiency. High-proficiency readers showed evidence for embedded stem priming effects, independent of whether stems occurred in combination with a real affix or a nonaffix. This finding is of relevance to recent morphological processing theories, suggesting that embedded stems represent salient activation units during the reading of complex pseudowords

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Most studies in adults with developmental dyslexia have focused on identifying the deficits responsible for their persistent reading difficulties, but little is known on how these readers manage the intensive exposure to written language required to obtain a university degree. The main objective of this study was to identify certain skills, and specifically vocabulary skills, that French university students with dyslexia have developed and that may contribute to their literacy skills. We tested 20 university students with dyslexia and 20 normal readers (matched on chronological age, gender, nonverbal IQ, and level of education) in reading, phonological, vocabulary breadth (number of known words), and vocabulary depth (accuracy and precision) tasks. In comparing vocabulary measures, we used both Rasch model and single case study methodologies. Results on reading and phonological tasks confirmed the persistence of deficits in written word recognition and phonological skills. However, using the Rasch model we found that the two groups performed at the same level in the vocabulary breadth task, whereas dyslexics systematically outperformed their chronological age controls in the vocabulary depth task. These results are supplemented by multiple case studies. The vocabulary skills of French university students with dyslexia are well developed. Possible interpretations of these results are discussed.