The dynamics of morphological processing in developing readers: A cross-linguistic masked priming study

2021 ◽  
Vol 208 ◽  
pp. 105140
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Beyersmann ◽  
Petroula Mousikou ◽  
Sascha Schroeder ◽  
Ludivine Javourey-Drevet ◽  
Johannes C. Ziegler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Masked Priming ◽  
Morphological Processing ◽  
Developing Readers

Second language processing of English past tense morphology: The role of working memory

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Filiz Rızaoğlu ◽  
Ayşe Gürel
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Masked Priming ◽  
Morphological Processing ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Past Tense ◽  
L2 Learners

AbstractThis study examines, via a masked priming task, the processing of English regular and irregular past tense morphology in proficient second language (L2) learners and native speakers in relation to working memory capacity (WMC), as measured by the Automated Reading Span (ARSPAN) and Operation Span (AOSPAN) tasks. The findings revealed quantitative group differences in the form of slower reaction times (RTs) in the L2-English group. While no correlation was found between the morphological processing patterns and WMC in either group, there was a negative relationship between English and Turkish ARSPAN scores and the speed of word recognition in the L2 group. Overall, comparable decompositional processing patterns found in both groups suggest that, like native speakers, high-proficiency L2 learners are sensitive to the morphological structure of the target language.

scholarly journals Imaging Implicit Morphological Processing: Evidence from Hebrew

2010 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 1955-1969 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atira S. Bick ◽  
Ram Frost ◽  
Gadi Goelman
Keyword(s):  
Masked Priming ◽  
Statistical Correlation ◽  
Morphological Processing ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Semantic Transparency ◽  
Lexical Structure ◽  
The Neural Networks ◽  
Distinct Aspect ◽  
The Brain

Is morphology a discrete and independent element of lexical structure or does it simply reflect a fine-tuning of the system to the statistical correlation that exists among orthographic and semantic properties of words? Hebrew provides a unique opportunity to examine morphological processing in the brain because of its rich morphological system. In an fMRI masked priming experiment, we investigated the neural networks involved in implicit morphological processing in Hebrew. In the lMFG and lIFG, activation was found to be significantly reduced when the primes were morphologically related to the targets. This effect was not influenced by the semantic transparency of the morphological prime, and was not found in the semantic or orthographic condition. Additional morphologically related decrease in activation was found in the lIPL, where activation was significantly modulated by semantic transparency. Our findings regarding implicit morphological processing suggest that morphology is an automatic and distinct aspect of visually processing words. These results also coincide with the behavioral data previously obtained demonstrating the central role of morphological processing in reading Hebrew.

scholarly journals The time course of morphological processing in a second language

2013 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harald Clahsen ◽  
Loay Balkhair ◽  
John-Sebastian Schutter ◽  
Ian Cunnings
Keyword(s):  
Eye Movement ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Masked Priming ◽  
Judgment Task ◽  
Morphological Processing ◽  
Online Processing ◽  
Movement Data ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Complex Words

We report findings from psycholinguistic experiments investigating the detailed timing of processing morphologically complex words by proficient adult second (L2) language learners of English in comparison to adult native (L1) speakers of English. The first study employed the masked priming technique to investigate - ed forms with a group of advanced Arabic-speaking learners of English. The results replicate previously found L1/L2 differences in morphological priming, even though in the present experiment an extra temporal delay was offered after the presentation of the prime words. The second study examined the timing of constraints against inflected forms inside derived words in English using the eye-movement monitoring technique and an additional acceptability judgment task with highly advanced Dutch L2 learners of English in comparison to adult L1 English controls. Whilst offline the L2 learners performed native-like, the eye-movement data showed that their online processing was not affected by the morphological constraint against regular plurals inside derived words in the same way as in native speakers. Taken together, these findings indicate that L2 learners are not just slower than native speakers in processing morphologically complex words, but that the L2 comprehension system employs real-time grammatical analysis (in this case, morphological information) less than the L1 system.

scholarly journals Universal and particular in morphological processing: Evidence from Hebrew

2018 ◽  
Vol 71 (5) ◽  
pp. 1125-1133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yael Farhy ◽  
João Veríssimo ◽  
Harald Clahsen
Keyword(s):  
Morphological Structure ◽  
Masked Priming ◽  
Word Processor ◽  
Morphological Processing ◽  
Root Decomposition ◽  
Priming Effects ◽  
European Languages ◽  
Verb Forms ◽  
Complex Words ◽  
Open Class

Do properties of individual languages shape the mechanisms by which they are processed? By virtue of their non-concatenative morphological structure, the recognition of complex words in Semitic languages has been argued to rely strongly on morphological information and on decomposition into root and pattern constituents. Here, we report results from a masked priming experiment in Hebrew in which we contrasted verb forms belonging to two morphological classes, Paal and Piel, which display similar properties, but crucially differ on whether they are extended to novel verbs. Verbs from the open-class Piel elicited familiar root priming effects, but verbs from the closed-class Paal did not. Our findings indicate that, similarly to other (e.g., Indo-European) languages, down-to-the-root decomposition in Hebrew does not apply to stems of non-productive verbal classes. We conclude that the Semitic word processor is less unique than previously thought: Although it operates on morphological units that are combined in a non-linear way, it engages the same universal mechanisms of storage and computation as those seen in other languages.

scholarly journals Morphological awareness and visual processing of derivational morphology in high-functioning adults with dyslexia: An avenue to compensation?

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 483-506 ◽  
Author(s):  
JEREMY M. LAW ◽  
ANNELI VEISPAK ◽  
JOLIJN VANDERAUWERA ◽  
POL GHESQUIÈRE
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Morphological Awareness ◽  
Morphological Structure ◽  
Masked Priming ◽  
Morphological Processing ◽  
Sentence Completion ◽  
Decision Task ◽  
Derivational Morphology ◽  
High Functioning

ABSTRACTThis study examined the processing of derivational morphology and its association with measures of morphological awareness and literacy outcomes in 30 Dutch-speaking high-functioning dyslexics, and 30 controls, matched for age and reading comprehension. A masked priming experiment was conducted where the semantic overlap between morphologically related pairs was manipulated as part of a lexical decision task. Measures of morphological awareness were assessed using a specifically designed sentence completion task. Significant priming effects were found in each group, yet adults with dyslexia were found to benefit more from the morphological structure than the controls. Adults with dyslexia were found to be influenced by both form (morpho-orthographic) and meaning (morphosemantic) properties of morphemes while controls were mainly influenced by morphosemantic properties. The reports suggest that morphological processing is intact in high-functioning dyslexics and a strength when compared to controls matched for reading comprehension and age. Thus, reports support morphological processing as a potential factor in the reading compensation of adults with dyslexia. However, adults with dyslexia performed significantly worse than controls on morphological awareness measures.

Tracking the acquisition of orthographic skills in developing readers: Masked priming effects

2007 ◽  
Vol 97 (3) ◽  
pp. 165-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Castles ◽  
Chris Davis ◽  
Pauline Cavalot ◽  
Kenneth Forster
Keyword(s):  
Masked Priming ◽  
Priming Effects ◽  
Developing Readers

scholarly journals Morphological processing in L2 Italian

2014 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 322-337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serena Dal Maso ◽  
Hélène Giraudo
Keyword(s):  
Learning Process ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
High Surface ◽  
Masked Priming ◽  
Morphological Processing ◽  
Priming Effects ◽  
Morphological Priming ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
L2 Learning ◽  
Complex Words

The present paper explores the processing of morphologically complex words in L2 Italian by means of as series of masked priming experiments associated with a LDT. We manipulated deadjectival nominalizations in -ità (e.g. velocità < veloce) and in -ezza (e.g. bellezza < bello), that differ in terms of numerosity, productivity (Rainer, 2004) and on surface frequency. Morphological priming effects were evaluated relative to both orthographic and identity conditions and the data revealed significant morphological priming effects emerging for words ending with the most productive suffix (-ità) and having a high surface frequency in Italian. Our data on derivation suggest that similarly to native speakers, L2 learners are sensitive to morphological information, but they integrate it progressively through L2 learning process.

Early morphological decomposition of suffixed words: Masked priming evidence with transposed-letter nonword primes

2012 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 869-892 ◽  
Author(s):  
ELISABETH BEYERSMANN ◽  
JON ANDONI DUÑABEITIA ◽  
MANUEL CARREIRAS ◽  
MAX COLTHEART ◽  
ANNE CASTLES
Keyword(s):  
Lexical Decision ◽  
Masked Priming ◽  
Morphological Processing ◽  
Morphological Decomposition ◽  
Semantic Constraints ◽  
Complex Word ◽  
Early Stages ◽  
Morphological Priming ◽  
Reading System

ABSTRACTMany studies have previously reported that the recognition of a stem target (e.g., teach) is facilitated by the prior masked presentation of a prime consisting of a derived form of it (e.g., teacher). We conducted two lexical decision experiments to investigate masked morphological priming in Spanish. Experiment 1 showed that equal magnitudes of masked stem-target priming are obtained for both morphologically complex word primes (e.g., doloroso-DOLOR [painful-PAIN]) and morphologically complex nonword primes that included letter transpositions within the stem (e.g., dlooroso-DOLOR). Experiment 2 used morphologically complex nonword primes comprising lexically illegal combinations of stems and suffixes (e.g., total + ito [a little total]). Priming was obtained for morphologically related nonword primes (e.g., totalito-TOTAL), but not for nonword primes that included letter transpositions within the pseudostem (e.g., ttoalito-TOTAL). Our data suggest that morphoorthographic parsing mechanisms benefit from semantic constraints at early stages in the reading system, which we discuss in the context of current morphological processing accounts.

scholarly journals Short article: Is morphological decomposition limited to low-frequency words?

2009 ◽  
Vol 62 (9) ◽  
pp. 1706-1715 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha F. McCormick ◽  
Marc Brysbaert ◽  
Kathleen Rastle
Keyword(s):  
High Frequency ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Masked Priming ◽  
Morphological Processing ◽  
Automatic Process ◽  
Short Article ◽  
Mean Frequency ◽  
Show Evidence ◽  
Complex Words

On the basis of data from masked priming experiments, it has been argued that an automatic process of decomposition is applied to all morphologically structured stimuli, irrespective of their lexical characteristics (Rastle, Davis, & New, 2004). So far, this claim has been tested only with respect to low-frequency primes and nonword primes. This is a limitation because some models of morphological processing postulate that only high-frequency complex words are recognized as whole forms. Thus, a more stringent test would be to determine whether high-frequency complex words also show evidence of masked priming. We report an experiment that compares masked-priming effects observed when the primes constitute morphologically structured nonwords (e.g., alarmer–ALARM), low-frequency words with a mean frequency of 2 per million (e.g., notional–NOTION), and high-frequency words with a mean frequency of 60 per million (e.g., national–NATION). These three conditions yielded significant and equivalent effects, lending strong support to the notion of a routine form of decomposition that is applied to all morphologically structured stimuli.

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