Development of Visual Expertise for Reading: Rapid Emergence of Visual Familiarity for an Artificial Script

Maurer, Urs; Blau, Vera C; Yoncheva, Yuliya N.; McCandliss, Bruce D.

doi:10.1080/87565641.2010.480916

Cited by 88 publications

(96 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Such observations might speculatively be related to differential automaticity of the emergent decoding skills that are not specifically needed for task performance. This interpretation dovetails with our previous findings of training-induced ERP changes that showed an LPC-like modulation in addition to the N170 learning effect, when probed in a phonologically shallow implicit reading task (Maurer et al, 2010). …”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Similarly, specific educational impact is evident in pre-literate children who progress through their literacy training to eventually exhibit native script sensitivity, characteristically left-lateralized as in skilled adult readers (Brem et al, 2009). Studies examining the visual word N170 response throughout reading skill accruement often report accompanying modulations of later ERP components (Brem et al, 2006, 2009; Maurer, Blau, Yoncheva, & McCandliss, 2010). These include the N400 component, thought to reflect deeper semantic processing as commonly revealed by comparing expected with unexpected sentence endings (Kutas & Federmeier, 2011), and the Late Positivity Complex (LPC) family of components often attributed to domain-general engagement of learning, attention, and memory functions (Polich, 2007).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Hemispheric specialization for visual words is shaped by attention to sublexical units during initial learning

2015

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Selective attention to grapheme-phoneme mappings during learning can impact the circuitry subsequently recruited during reading. Here we trained literate adults to read two novel scripts of glyph words containing embedded letters under different instructions. For one script, learners linked each embedded letter to its corresponding sound within the word (grapheme-phoneme focus); for another, decoding was prevented so entire words had to be memorized. Post-training, ERPs were recorded during a reading task on trained and untrained but decodable (transfer) words. We found reaction-time patterns suggesting alphabetic decoding of both trained and transfer words and a left-lateralized, late ERP modulation when decoding transfer as opposed to trained visual words of the grapheme-phoneme focus script. A left-lateralized N170 topography was observed only for the grapheme-phoneme script. Collectively, findings underscore the impact of selective attention to grapheme-phoneme mappings on reading expertise acquisition with implications for recognition of trained words and self-teaching of decodable words.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

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confidence: 99%

Hemispheric specialization for visual words is shaped by attention to sublexical units during initial learning

2015

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“…This stands in contrast to the case of patients with dyslexia, who show continuous RH involvement [27][28][29]. Given the very early (perinatal) insult to the LH in the patients we studied, we hypothesized that all participants in our study would, nevertheless, be able to read and develop some mastery of the requisite phonological skills.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Literacy after cerebral hemispherectomy: Can the isolated right hemisphere read?

Bode¹,

Chanturidze

Mathern

et al. 2015

Epilepsy & Behavior

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Objectives: Cerebral hemispherectomy, a surgical procedure undergone to control intractable seizures, is becoming a standard procedure with more cases identified and treated early in life [33]. While the effect of the dominant hemisphere resection on spoken language has been extensively researched, little is known about reading abilities in individuals after left-sided resection. Left-lateralized phonological abilities are the key components of reading, i.e., grapheme-phoneme conversion skills [1]. These skills are critical for the acquisition of wordspecific orthographic knowledge and have been shown to predict reading levels in average readers as well as in readers with mild cognitive disability [26]. Furthermore, impaired phonological processing has been implicated as the cognitive basis in struggling readers. Here, we explored the reading skills in participants who have undergone left cerebral hemispherectomy. Methods: Seven individuals who have undergone left cerebral hemispherectomy to control intractable seizures associated with perinatal infarct have been recruited for this study. We examined if components of phonological processing that are shown to reliably separate average readers from struggling readers, i.e., phonological awareness, verbal memory, speed of retrieval, and size of vocabulary, show the same relationship to reading levels when they are mediated by the right hemisphere [2]. Results: We found that about 60% of our group developed both word reading and paragraph reading in the average range. Phonological processing measured by both phonological awareness and nonword reading was unexpectedly spared in the majority of participants. Phonological awareness levels strongly correlated with word reading. Verbal memory, a component of phonological processing skills, together with receptive vocabulary size, positively correlated with reading levels similar to those reported in average readers. Receptive vocabulary, a bilateral function, was preserved to a certain degree similar to that of strongly left-lateralized phonological skills [3]. Later seizure onset was associated with better reading levels. Conclusions: When cerebral hemispherectomy is performed to control seizures associated with very early (in utero) insult, it has been found that the remaining right hemisphere is still able to support reading and phonological processing skills that are normally mediated by the left hemisphere. Our results also suggest the existence of variability in individuals after hemispherectomy, even within groups having the same etiology and similar timing of insult.Published by Elsevier Inc.

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“…The importance of reading ability suggests that the fine tuning effect is flexible and highly related to an individualʼs reading experience. Maurer, Blau, Yoncheva, & McCandliss, 2011Maurer, Brem, Bucher, & Brandeis, 2005Spironelli & Angrilli, 2009 …”

Section: Left-lateralized N170 Effectmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fine Neural Tuning for Orthographic Properties of Words Emerges Early in Children Reading Alphabetic Script

Zhao

Kipp

Gaspar

et al. 2014

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience

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The left-lateralized N170 component of ERPs for words compared with various control stimuli is considered as an electrophysiological manifestation of visual expertise for written words. To understand the information sensitivity of the effect, researchers distinguish between coarse tuning for words (the N170 amplitude difference between words and symbol strings) and fine tuning for words (the N170 amplitude difference between words and consonant strings). Earlier developmental ERP studies demonstrated that the coarse tuning for words occurred early in children (8 years old), whereas the fine tuning for words emerged much later (10 years old). Given that there are large individual differences in reading ability in young children, these tuning effects may emerge earlier than expected in some children. This study measured N170 responses to words and control stimuli in a large group of 7-year-olds that varied widely in reading ability. In both low and high reading ability groups, we observed the coarse neural tuning for words. More interestingly, we found that a stronger N170 for words than consonant strings emerged in children with high but not low reading ability. Our study demonstrates for the first time that fine neural tuning for orthographic properties of words can be observed in young children with high reading ability, suggesting that the emergent age of this effect is much earlier than previously assumed. The modulation of this effect by reading ability suggests that fine tuning is flexible and highly related to experience. Moreover, we found a correlation between this tuning effect at left occipitotemporal electrodes and children's reading ability, suggesting that the fine tuning might be a biomarker of reading skills at the very beginning of learning to read. To understand the information sensitivity of the effect, researchers distinguish between coarse tuning for words (the N170 amplitude difference between words and symbol strings) and fine tuning for words (the N170 amplitude difference between words and consonant strings). Earlier developmental ERP studies demonstrated that the coarse tuning for words occurred early in children (8 years old), whereas the fine tuning for words emerged much later (10 years old). Given that there are large individual differences in reading ability in young children, these tuning effects may emerge earlier than expected in some children. This study measured N170 responses to words and control stimuli in a large group of 7-year-olds that varied widely in reading ability. In both low and high reading ability groups, we observed the coarse neural tuning for words. More interestingly, we found that a stronger N170 for words than consonant strings emerged in children with high but not low reading ability. Our study demonstrates for the first time that fine neural tuning for orthographic properties of words can be observed in young children with high reading ability, suggesting that the emergent age of this effect is much earlier than previously assumed. The modulatio...

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Development of Visual Expertise for Reading: Rapid Emergence of Visual Familiarity for an Artificial Script

Cited by 88 publications

References 52 publications

Hemispheric specialization for visual words is shaped by attention to sublexical units during initial learning

Hemispheric specialization for visual words is shaped by attention to sublexical units during initial learning

Literacy after cerebral hemispherectomy: Can the isolated right hemisphere read?

Fine Neural Tuning for Orthographic Properties of Words Emerges Early in Children Reading Alphabetic Script

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