Overnight Consolidation of Speech Sounds Predicts Decoding Ability in Skilled Adult Readers

Overview

Journal Sci Stud Read

Date 2022 Jan 31

PMID 35095261

Authors

Lane C Williams

F Sayako Earle

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Purpose: Phonological representations are important for reading. In the current work, we examine the relationship between speech-perceptual memory encoding and consolidation to reading ability in skilled adult readers.

Method: Seventy-three young adults (age 18-24) were first tested in their word and nonword reading ability, and then trained in the late evening to identify an unfamiliar speech sound contrast (Hindi retroflex-dental). Participants were assessed in their ability to perceive the target contrast immediately before training, after training, and 12 hours later.

Results: While perceptual performance on the target at any time point was unassociated with reading ability, overnight changes to the post-training perceptual ability over the 12-hour delay was significantly associated with nonword reading (i.e. decoding) ability, but not real-word reading.

Conclusion: These results provide preliminary support for the hypothesis that individual differences in memory processes that update phonological representations following acoustic-phonetic exposure relate to decoding performance, including in adulthood.

Citing Articles

Neuroimaging Findings for the Overnight Consolidation of Learned Non-native Speech Sounds.

Earle F, Molfese P, Myers E Neurobiol Lang (Camb). 2025; 6.

PMID: 39830070 PMC: 11740156. DOI: 10.1162/nol_a_00157.

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