Erratum to: Improving word reading speed: individual differences interact with a training focus on successes or failures

Models of word reading that simultaneously take into account item-level and person-level fixed and random effects are broadly known as explanatory item response models (EIRM). Although many variants of the EIRM are available, the field has generally focused on the doubly explanatory model for modeling individual differences. Moreover, the historical application of the EIRM has been a Rasch version of the model where the item discrimination values are fixed at 1.0 and the random or fixed item effects only pertain to the item difficulties. The statistical literature has advanced to allow for more robust testing of observed or latent outcomes, as well as more flexible parameterizations of the EIRM. The purpose of the present study was to compare the observed and latent Rasch EIRM using commonly used statistical software (R and Mplus) and more broadly compare Rasch and 2PL EIRM when including person-level and item-level predictors. Results showed that not only was the error variance smaller in the unconditional 2PL EIRM compared to the Rasch EIRM due to including the item discrimination random effect, but that patterns of unique item-level explanatory variables difference between the two approaches. Results are interpreted within the context of what each statistical model affords to the opportunity for describing and explaining individual differences in word-level performance.

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Individual differences in narrative production in late childhood: Associations with age and fiction reading experience

First Language ◽

10.1177/0142723720946553 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 014272372094655 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Lorna G. Hamilton ◽

Isabelle O’Halloran ◽

Nicola Cutting

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Word Reading ◽

Picture Book ◽

Production Quality ◽

Vocabulary Knowledge ◽

Late Childhood ◽

Reading Experience ◽

Children's Narratives ◽

Narrative Production ◽

Age Range

Narrative production draws upon linguistic, cognitive and pragmatic skills, and is subject to substantial individual differences. This study aimed to characterise the development of narrative production in late childhood and to assess whether children’s cumulative experience of reading fiction is associated with individual differences in narrative language skills. One-hundred-and-twenty-five 9- to 12-year-old children told a story from a wordless picture book, and their narratives were coded for syntactic, semantic and discourse-pragmatic features. The grammatical complexity and propositional content of children’s narratives increased with age between 9 and 12 years, while narrative cohesion, coherence and use of mental state terms were stable across the age range. Measures of fiction reading experience were positively correlated with several indices of narrative production quality and predicted unique variance in narrative macrostructure after controlling for individual differences in vocabulary knowledge, word reading accuracy and theory of mind. These findings are discussed in terms of the continued importance of ‘book language’ as part of the language input beyond early childhood.

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The influence of word frequency on word reading speed when individuals with macular diseases read text

Vision Research ◽

10.1016/j.visres.2018.12.002 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 155 ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Natacha Stolowy ◽

Aurélie Calabrèse ◽

Lauren Sauvan ◽

Carlos Aguilar ◽

Thomas François ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Word Frequency ◽

Word Reading ◽

Reading Speed ◽

Macular Diseases

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Individual differences in the second language processing of object–subject ambiguities

Applied Psycholinguistics ◽

10.1017/s0142716413000180 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 36 (2) ◽

pp. 129-173 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

HOLGER HOPP

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Individual Differences ◽

Language Processing ◽

Reading Speed ◽

Second Language Processing ◽

Advanced Learners ◽

L2 Processing ◽

Mixed Regression ◽

Syntactic Ambiguities ◽

Types Of Information

ABSTRACTThis study investigates whether and how individual differences modulate the adult second language (L2) processing of syntactic ambiguities. In a linear mixed regression analysis, we test how proficiency, working memory, reading speed, automaticity in lexical access, and grammatical integration ability affect the resolution of temporary object–subject ambiguities in L2 English. The results from 75 first language German advanced learners attest that individual differences in syntactic integration ability modulate the reliance on morphosyntactic and plausibility information. Similar to native speakers, L2 learners are found to adopt two different routes in L2 processing. The findings highlight the role of individual differences and qualify previous generalizations about the relative use of morphosyntactic and other types of information in L2 processing.

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Specific relations between alphanumeric-naming speed and reading speeds of monosyllabic and multisyllabic words

Applied Psycholinguistics ◽

10.1017/s0142716403000213 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 24 (3) ◽

pp. 407-430 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

KEES P. VAN DEN BOS ◽

BONNE J. H. ZIJLSTRA ◽

WIM VAN DEN BROECK

Keyword(s):

Word Reading ◽

Reading Speed ◽

Sight Words ◽

School Grade ◽

Monosyllabic Word ◽

Grade Levels ◽

Monosyllabic Words ◽

Visual Matching ◽

Single Word Reading ◽

Number Naming

The goals of this study are to investigate, at three elementary school grade levels, how word reading speed is related to rapidly naming series of numbers, letters, colors, and pictures, and to general processing speed (measured by nonnaming or visual matching tasks), and also to determine how these relationships vary with the reading task employed. The results indicate that, compared to color- and picture-naming speeds and nonnaming or visual matching speed, letter- and number-naming speeds are superior predictors of word reading speed. Furthermore, throughout the grade levels, associations between alphanumeric naming and monosyllabic word reading speeds are considerably stronger than for a widely used Dutch single-word reading test combining monosyllabic and multisyllabic words. It is suggested that, unlike multisyllabic words but similar to letters and numbers, monosyllabic words act as relatively holistic stimuli, which are recognized as sight words.

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Triangulation of the neurocomputational architecture underpinning reading aloud

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1502032112 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 112 (28) ◽

pp. E3719-E3728 ◽

Cited By ~ 38

Author(s):

Paul Hoffman ◽

Matthew A. Lambon Ralph ◽

Anna M. Woollams

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Phonological Processing ◽

Semantic Processing ◽

Word Reading ◽

Reading Aloud ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Semantic Knowledge ◽

Cognitive Models ◽

Causal Modeling ◽

Neural Pathways

The goal of cognitive neuroscience is to integrate cognitive models with knowledge about underlying neural machinery. This significant challenge was explored in relation to word reading, where sophisticated computational-cognitive models exist but have made limited contact with neural data. Using distortion-corrected functional MRI and dynamic causal modeling, we investigated the interactions between brain regions dedicated to orthographic, semantic, and phonological processing while participants read words aloud. We found that the lateral anterior temporal lobe exhibited increased activation when participants read words with irregular spellings. This area is implicated in semantic processing but has not previously been considered part of the reading network. We also found meaningful individual differences in the activation of this region: Activity was predicted by an independent measure of the degree to which participants use semantic knowledge to read. These characteristics are predicted by the connectionist Triangle Model of reading and indicate a key role for semantic knowledge in reading aloud. Premotor regions associated with phonological processing displayed the reverse characteristics. Changes in the functional connectivity of the reading network during irregular word reading also were consistent with semantic recruitment. These data support the view that reading aloud is underpinned by the joint operation of two neural pathways. They reveal that (i) the ATL is an important element of the ventral semantic pathway and (ii) the division of labor between the two routes varies according to both the properties of the words being read and individual differences in the degree to which participants rely on each route.

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Genome-wide association analyses of individual differences in quantitatively assessed reading- and language-related skills in up to 34,000 people

10.1101/2021.11.04.466897 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Else Eising ◽

Nazanin Mirza-Schreiber ◽

Eveline L de Zeeuw ◽

Carol A Wang ◽

Dongnhu T Truong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Variation ◽

Individual Differences ◽

Word Reading ◽

Written Language ◽

Phoneme Awareness ◽

Genome Wide Association ◽

Nonword Repetition ◽

Nonword Reading ◽

Genome Wide ◽

Multivariate Gwas

The use of spoken and written language is a capacity that is unique to humans. Individual differences in reading- and language-related skills are influenced by genetic variation, with twin-based heritability estimates of 30-80%, depending on the trait. The relevant genetic architecture is complex, heterogeneous, and multifactorial, and yet to be investigated with well-powered studies. Here, we present a multicohort genome-wide association study (GWAS) of five traits assessed individually using psychometric measures: word reading, nonword reading, spelling, phoneme awareness, and nonword repetition, with total sample sizes ranging from 13,633 to 33,959 participants aged 5-26 years (12,411 to 27,180 for those with European ancestry, defined by principal component analyses). We identified a genome-wide significant association with word reading (rs11208009, p=1.098 x 10-8) independent of known loci associated with intelligence or educational attainment. All five reading-/language-related traits had robust SNP-heritability estimates (0.13-0.26), and genetic correlations between them were modest to high. Using genomic structural equation modelling, we found evidence for a shared genetic factor explaining the majority of variation in word and nonword reading, spelling, and phoneme awareness, which only partially overlapped with genetic variation contributing to nonword repetition, intelligence and educational attainment. A multivariate GWAS was performed to jointly analyse word and nonword reading, spelling, and phoneme awareness, maximizing power for follow-up investigation. Genetic correlation analysis of multivariate GWAS results with neuroimaging traits identified association with cortical surface area of the banks of the left superior temporal sulcus, a brain region with known links to processing of spoken and written language. Analysis of evolutionary annotations on the lineage that led to modern humans showed enriched heritability in regions depleted of Neanderthal variants. Together, these results provide new avenues for deciphering the biological underpinnings of these uniquely human traits.

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A Study of Word Reading in Persian- speaking Children With Dyslexia and Normal Ones

Journal of Modern Rehabilitation ◽

10.18502/jmr.v14i4.7718 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Hourieh Ahadi ◽

Reza Nadarkhani ◽

Masood Ghayoomi

Keyword(s):

Phonological Awareness ◽

Word Reading ◽

Reading Speed ◽

Skills Training ◽

Control Group ◽

Human Beings ◽

Normal Children ◽

Reading Methods ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Mean

Introduction: Reading is undoubtedly one of the most valuable skills of human beings. This complex behavior is composed of several distinct skills. Different theories about reading methods have been proposed and many researchers believe that reading methods varies in languages because of the different transparency in their orthography, so the purpose of this study is to investigate the Persian word reading pattern in children with dyslexia and normal children and compare their abilities. Materials and Methods: For conducting this cross-sectional study, after issuing required permits, the elementary school children with dyslexia were identified by referring to learning disorders schools in Tehran City, Iran. After evaluating and diagnosing by the psychologist and speech therapist, 16 students with dyslexia were found. Then 32 normal age-matched students of Tehran’s public schools were randomly selected from the available population as the control group. The reading and phonological awareness tests were then performed in different sessions. The results of the tests were recorded and the data were analyzed by the Mann-Whitney and Spearman tests in SPSS version 20. Results: There was a significant difference between children with dyslexia and their age- matched normal group in reading skills and phonological awareness (P<0.05). In both groups, the mean percentage in reading irregular words was higher than the mean percentage of non- word reading. There is a significant correlation between reading speed and reading irregular words in both groups, and also between reading accuracy and reading non-words (P<0.05). There was a significant correlation between the reading speed and reading non-words in the group with dyslexia (P<0.05). But in normal children, there is no significant correlation between these tasks. This difference shows the problem of children with dyslexia pertains to reading non-words. Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, in children with dyslexia, there is a problem with reading non-words, and the dual-route of word reading has changed to only the whole word reading route. So it is important to consider phonological awareness skills training in children with dyslexia.

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Similarity Judgments Predict N400 Amplitude Differences between Taxonomic Category Members and Thematic Associates

10.31234/osf.io/dfhjv ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Garrett Honke ◽

Kenneth J. Kurtz ◽

Sarah Laszlo

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Word Reading ◽

Similarity Judgment ◽

Semantic Knowledge ◽

Language Ability ◽

Taxonomic Category ◽

Relational Similarity ◽

Related Potentials ◽

Similarity Judgments ◽

Psychological Similarity

Human similarity judgments do not reliably conform to the predictions of leading theories of psychological similarity. Evidence from the triad similarity judgment task shows that people often identify thematic associates like DOG and BONE as more similar than taxonomic category members like DOG and CAT, even though thematic associates lack the type of featural or relational similarity that is foundational to theories of psychological similarity. This specific failure to predict human behavior has been addressed as a consequence of education and other individual differences, an artifact of the triad similarity judgment paradigm, or a shortcoming in psychological accounts of similarity. We investigated the judged similarity of semantically-related concepts (taxonomic category members and thematic associates) as it relates to other task-independent measures of semantic knowledge and access. Participants were assessed on reading and language ability, then event-related potentials (ERPs) were collected during a passive, sequential word reading task that presented pseudowords and taxonomically-related, thematically-related, and unrelated word sequences, and, finally, similarity judgments were collected with the classic two-alternative forced-choice triad task. The results uncovered a correspondence between ERP amplitude and triad-based similarity judgments---similarity judgment behavior reliably predicts ERP amplitude during passive word reading, absent of any instruction to consider similarity. It was also found that individual differences in reading and language ability independently predicted ERP amplitude. This evidence suggests that similarity judgments are driven by reliable patterns of thought that are not solely rooted in the interpretation of task goals or reading and language ability.

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