Listening Ears or Reading Eyes: A Meta-Analysis of Reading and Listening Comprehension Comparisons

In this study, a meta-analysis of reading and listening comprehension comparisons across age groups was conducted. Based on robust variance estimation (46 studies; N = 4,687), the overall difference between reading and listening comprehension was not reliably different (g = 0.07, p = .23). Reading was beneficial over listening when the reading condition was self-paced (g = 0.13, p = .049) rather than experimenter-paced (g = −0.32, p = .16). Reading also had a benefit when inferential and general comprehension rather than literal comprehension was assessed (g = 0.36, p = .02; g = .15, p = .05; g = −0.01, p = .93, respectively). There was some indication that reading and listening were more similar in languages with transparent orthographies than opaque orthographies (g = 0.001, p = .99; g = 0.10, p = .19, respectively). The findings may be used to inform theories of comprehension about modality influences in that both lower-level skill and affordances vary comparisons of reading and listening comprehension. Moreover, the findings may guide choices of modality; however, both audio and written options are needed for accessible instruction.

Questioning the Efficacy of Reading Storybooks to Very Young Japanese EFL Learners: A Vocabulary Study

This study is concerned with vocabulary acquisition from reading ‘authentic’ English storybooks to very young Japanese children in an immersion EFL setting. 26 children took part in a quasi-experimental study which examined two reading techniques. A multiple readings condition offered three verbatim readings of three different storybooks (nine readings in total), whereas the second condition added brief L2 explanations of target words within a single reading of each book (three readings in total). Prior vocabulary in L2 (English) was also measured to evaluate its effect on word learning. A post-treatment target word vocabulary test was conducted to assess for acquisition. The results of the study show that neither reading condition resulted in significant effects with regard to word learning. The effect of prior vocabulary (both L1 and L2), however, was significant, and implications for educators working with children in this age group are discussed. 本研究は、イマージョン型のEFL環境における、「本物の」英語の童話を使った読み聞かせによる日本人児童の語彙習得に関するものである。26人の児童が実験に参加し、2つの異なるリーディング手法について調査した。一つのグループには、３つの異なる童話を３回ずつ逐語的に繰り返し読み聞かせ（合計９回）、もう一つのグループには、各童話の対象となる単語の簡潔な説明をL2 （英語）で行った上で一回ずつ読み聞かせた（合計３回）。さらに、L2（英語）の事前語彙知識を測定し、単語学習効果を検証した。どれくらい習得したか評価するために対象となる単語の事後テストを行った。本研究の結果は、どちらのリーディング手法も単語学習には有意な効果をもたらさなかったことを示している。しかしながら、事前語彙知識（L1とL2の両方）の

To Move, to Touch, to Listen: Multisensory Aspects of the Digital Reading Condition

The article discusses modes of reading that emerge from reading situations that involve literary digital interfaces and digital audiobooks. Building on analyses of sensorial characteristics of the act of reading a digital audiobook and a literary digital app, respectively, the article presents and defines the concept of multisensory reading. This concept emphasizes the literary work's material and performative features, as well as the experienced reading situation. The authors explore how the digital literary interface changes reading situations and argue that new reading habits create a need to renegotiate what it means to read in a digital age. In particular, sensory aspects can be understood as integrally involved in what they term the digital reading condition.

Effects of Human Presence and Voice on the Behaviour of Shelter Dogs and Cats: A Preliminary Study

Reading books to shelter animals combining auditory enrichment with human presence is increasingly used although its effects on animal welfare have not yet been investigated. This study compared the behaviour of single-housed shelter dogs and cats during a prerecorded reading condition in the absence or presence of an unfamiliar human (without direct physical contact). Fourteen dogs and twenty-one cats were observed in their enclosure in the two conditions in a counterbalanced order. Behaviours such as scratching the door, gaze direction and location in relation to the audio source/human were analysed from video recording for 10 min per condition. Dogs spent more time in their bed (p < 0.047) and looking at the auditory source (p < 0.004) when a human was present. Cats showed door scratching and rubbing when a human was present (p < 0.043), whereas they tended to spend more time in the vertical dimension (p = 0.051), where the hiding boxes were located, during auditory stimulation without a human present. These results show that the presence of a human induces greater interest compared to just audio stimulation in shelter dogs and cats but may induce frustration likely due to not being able to physically interact in some animals.

Reading Text When Studying in a Second Language: An Eye-Tracking Study

We investigated how eye movements are influenced by different reading goals in participants' first (L1) and second language (L2). Participants read or studied the contents of texts while their eye movements were recorded. One group was asked to read L1 and L2 texts as they would read any expository text (informational reading). Another group was asked to study L1 and L2 texts for subsequent tests involving true/false questions (study condition). After reading, all participants, including those in the informational reading condition, completed the true/false tests without being able to further consult the texts, which allowed us to investigate the extent to which reading goal and text language affect recognition memory for texts. In general, more reading time was spent on studying than on informational reading, which also resulted in higher test scores in the study condition. The L2-processing cost was larger in the study condition than in the informational reading condition: Participants needed approximately 20% more time to study L2 texts. The results of various eye movement measures suggest that this is caused by slower word recognition processes and a smaller amount of information that can be processed simultaneously in L2. This was true not only for the first reading of the text but also for the rereadings in the study condition. Interestingly, the additional time for L2 studying seemed to compensate for the less efficient processing, as the recognition test scores were the same in L2 as in L1.

The Orofacial Somatosensory System Is Modulated During Speech Planning and Production

Purpose In our previous studies, we showed that the brain modulates the auditory system, and the modulation starts during speech planning. However, it remained unknown whether the brain uses similar mechanisms to modulate the orofacial somatosensory system. Here, we developed a novel behavioral paradigm to (a) examine whether the somatosensory system is modulated during speech planning and (b) determine the somatosensory modulation's time course during planning and production. Method Participants ( N = 20) completed two experiments in which we applied electrical current stimulation to the lower lip to induce somatosensory sensation. In the first experiment, we used a staircase method (one-up, four-down) to determine each participant's perceptual threshold at rest (i.e., the stimulus that the participant detected on 85% of trials). In the second experiment, we estimated each participant's detection ratio of electrical stimuli (with a magnitude equivalent of their perceptual threshold) delivered at various time points before speaking and during a control condition (silent reading). Results We found that the overall detection ratio in the silent reading condition remained unchanged relative to the detection ratio at rest. Approximately 536 ms before speech onset, the detection ratio in the speaking condition was similar to that in the silent reading condition; however, the detection ratio in the speaking condition gradually started to decrease and reached its lowest level at 58 ms before speech onset. Conclusions Overall, we provided compelling behavioral evidence that, as the speech motor system prepares speech movements, it also modulates the orofacial somatosensory system in a temporally specific manner.

Sans forgetica is not desirable for learning

Do students learn better with material that is perceptually hard to process? While evidence is equivocal on the matter, recent claims suggest that placing materials in Sans Forgetica, a perceptually difficult-to-process typeface, has positive impacts on student learning. Given the weak evidence for other similar perceptual disfluency effects, we examined the mnemonic effects of Sans Forgetica more closely in comparison to other learning strategies across three preregistered experiments. In Experiment 1 (N = 233), participants studied weakly related cue-target pairs with targets presented in either Sans Forgetica or with missing letters (e.g., cue: G_RL, the generation effect). Cued recall performance showed a robust effect of generation, but no Sans Forgetica memory benefit. In Experiment 2 (N = 528), participants read an educational passage about ground water with select sentences presented in either Sans Forgetica, yellow pre-highlighting, or unmodified. Cued recall for select words was better for pre-highlighted information than a unmodified pure reading condition. Critically, presenting sentences in Sans Forgetica did not elevate cued recall compared to an unmodified pure reading condition or a pre-highlighted condition. In Experiment 3 (N = 60), individuals did not have better discriminability for Sans Forgetica relative to a fluent condition in an old-new recognition test. Our findings suggest that Sans Forgetica really is forgettable.

Does pre-testing promote better retention than post-testing?

Compared with other learning strategies, retrieval practice seems to promote superior long-term retention. This has been found mostly in conditions where learners take tests after being exposed to learning content. However, a pre-testing effect has also been demonstrated, with promising results. This raises the question, for a given amount of time dedicated to retrieval practice, whether learners should be tested before or after an initial exposure to learning content. Our experiment directly compares the benefits of post-testing and pre-testing relative to an extended reading condition, on a retention test 7 days later. We replicated both post-testing (d = 0.74) and pre-testing effects (d = 0.35), with significantly better retention in the former condition. Post-testing also promoted knowledge transfer to previously untested questions, whereas pre-testing did not. Our results thus suggest that it may be more fruitful to test students after than before exposure to learning content.

Internally Versus Externally Cued Speech in Parkinson's Disease and Cerebellar Disease

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an internally versus externally cued speech task on perceived understandability and naturalness in speakers with Parkinson's disease (PD) and cerebellar disease (CD).MethodSentences extracted from a covertly recorded conversation (internally cued) were compared to the same sentences read aloud (externally cued) by speakers with PD and a clinical comparison group of speakers with CD. Experienced listeners rated the speech samples using a visual analog scale for the perceptual dimensions of understandability and naturalness.ResultsResults suggest that experienced listeners rated the speech of participants with PD as significantly more natural and more understandable during the reading condition. Participants with CD were also rated as significantly more understandable during the reading condition, but ratings of naturalness did not differ between conversation and reading.ConclusionsSpeech tasks can have a pronounced impact on perceived speech patterns. For individuals with PD, both understandability and naturalness can improve during reading tasks versus conversational tasks. The speech benefits from reading may be attributed to several mechanisms, including possible improvement from an externally cued speech task. These findings have implications for speech task selection in evaluating individuals with dysarthria.