Modeling Complex Word Reading: Examining Influences at the Level of the Word and Child on Mono- and Polymorphemic Word Reading

Overview

Journal Sci Stud Read

Date 2023 Jan 16

PMID 36644448

Authors

Laura M Steacy

Valeria M Rigobon

Ashley A Edwards

Daniel R Abes

Nancy C Marencin

Kathryn Smith

James D Elliott

Lesly Wade-Woolley

Donald L Compton

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Purpose: The probability of a child reading a word correctly is influenced by both child skills and properties of the word. The purpose of this study was to investigate child-level skills (set for variability and vocabulary), word-level properties (concreteness), word structure (mono- vs. polymorphemic), and interactions between these properties and word structure within a comprehensive item-level model of complex word reading. This study is unique in that it purposely sampled both mono- and polymorphemic polysyllabic words.

Method: A sample of African American ( = 69) and Hispanic ( =6) students in grades 2-5 ( =75) read a set of mono- and polymorphemic polysyllabic words (=54). Item-level responses were modeled using cross-classified generalized random-effects models allowing variance to be partitioned between child and word while controlling for other important child factors and word features.

Results: Set for variability and the interaction between concreteness and word structure (i.e., mono- vs. polymorphemic) were significant predictors. Higher probabilities of reading poly- over monomorphemic words were identified at lower levels of concreteness with the opposite at higher levels of concreteness.

Conclusions: Results indicate important predictors at both the child- and word-level and support the importance of morphological structure for reading abstract polysyllabic words.

Citing Articles

Modeling item-level variance of polysyllabic word reading in developing readers: Exploring semantically related child, word, and child-by-word predictors.

Kellenberger M, Steacy L, Borkenhagen M, Dozier J, Compton D J Exp Child Psychol. 2024; 246:105998.

PMID: 38981331 PMC: 11316644. DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2024.105998.

Derivational Morphology Training in French-Speaking 9- to 14- Year-Old Children and Adolescents With Developmental Dyslexia: Does It Improve Morphological Awareness, Reading, and Spelling Outcome Measures?.

Ardanouy E, Zesiger P, Delage H J Learn Disabil. 2024; 58(1):62-77.

PMID: 38321972 PMC: 11636023. DOI: 10.1177/00222194231223526.

Brain bases of morphological awareness and longitudinal word reading outcomes.

Marks R, Eggleston R, Kovelman I J Exp Child Psychol. 2023; 238:105802.

PMID: 37924662 PMC: 10918614. DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2023.105802.

What predicts word reading in Arabic?.

Hassanein E, Johnson E, Ibrahim S, Alshaboul Y Front Psychol. 2023; 14:1077643.

PMID: 37187567 PMC: 10176086. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1077643.

References

Edwards A, Steacy L, Seigelman N, Rigobon V, Kearns D, Rueckl J . Unpacking the Unique Relationship Between Set for Variability and Word Reading Development: Examining Word- and Child-Level Predictors of Performance. J Educ Psychol. 2023; 114(6):1242-1256. PMC: 10187764. DOI: 10.1037/edu0000696. View

Nation K . Nurturing a lexical legacy: reading experience is critical for the development of word reading skill. NPJ Sci Learn. 2019; 2:3. PMC: 6220205. DOI: 10.1038/s41539-017-0004-7. View

Seidenberg M, McClelland J . A distributed, developmental model of word recognition and naming. Psychol Rev. 1989; 96(4):523-68. DOI: 10.1037/0033-295x.96.4.523. View

Grainger J, Ziegler J . A dual-route approach to orthographic processing. Front Psychol. 2011; 2:54. PMC: 3110785. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2011.00054. View

Strain E, Patterson K, Seidenberg M . Semantic effects in single-word naming. J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn. 1995; 21(5):1140-54. DOI: 10.1037//0278-7393.21.5.1140. View

Balota D, Yap M, Cortese M, Hutchison K, Kessler B, Loftis B . The English Lexicon Project. Behav Res Methods. 2007; 39(3):445-59. DOI: 10.3758/bf03193014. View

De Luca M, Barca L, Burani C, Zoccolotti P . The effect of word length and other sublexical, lexical, and semantic variables on developmental reading deficits. Cogn Behav Neurol. 2008; 21(4):227-35. DOI: 10.1097/WNN.0b013e318190d162. View

Perry C, Ziegler J, Zorzi M . Beyond single syllables: large-scale modeling of reading aloud with the Connectionist Dual Process (CDP++) model. Cogn Psychol. 2010; 61(2):106-51. DOI: 10.1016/j.cogpsych.2010.04.001. View

Plaut D, McClelland J, Seidenberg M, Patterson K . Understanding normal and impaired word reading: computational principles in quasi-regular domains. Psychol Rev. 1996; 103(1):56-115. DOI: 10.1037/0033-295x.103.1.56. View

10.

Steacy L, Edwards A, Rueckl J, Petscher Y, Compton D . Modeling and Visualizing the Codevelopment of Word and Nonword Reading in Children From First Through Fourth Grade: Informing Developmental Trajectories of Children With Dyslexia. Child Dev. 2020; 92(3):e252-e269. DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13468. View

11.

Steacy L, Compton D . Examining the role of imageability and regularity in word reading accuracy and learning efficiency among first and second graders at risk for reading disabilities. J Exp Child Psychol. 2018; 178:226-250. PMC: 6433598. DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2018.09.007. View

12.

Pugh K, Landi N, Preston J, Mencl W, Austin A, Sibley D . The relationship between phonological and auditory processing and brain organization in beginning readers. Brain Lang. 2012; 125(2):173-83. PMC: 3417084. DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2012.04.004. View

13.

Harm M, Seidenberg M . Phonology, reading acquisition, and dyslexia: insights from connectionist models. Psychol Rev. 1999; 106(3):491-528. DOI: 10.1037/0033-295x.106.3.491. View

14.

Laing E, Hulme C . Phonological and semantic processes influence beginning readers' ability to learn to read words. J Exp Child Psychol. 1999; 73(3):183-207. DOI: 10.1006/jecp.1999.2500. View

15.

Seymour P, Aro M, Erskine J . Foundation literacy acquisition in European orthographies. Br J Psychol. 2003; 94(Pt 2):143-74. DOI: 10.1348/000712603321661859. View

16.

Share D . Phonological recoding and self-teaching: sine qua non of reading acquisition. Cognition. 1995; 55(2):151-218; discussion 219-26. DOI: 10.1016/0010-0277(94)00645-2. View

17.

Steacy L, Compton D, Petscher Y, Elliott J, Smith K, Rueckl J . Development and Prediction of Context-Dependent Vowel Pronunciation in Elementary Readers. Sci Stud Read. 2019; 23(1):49-63. PMC: 6402599. DOI: 10.1080/10888438.2018.1466303. View

18.

Sabsevitz D, Medler D, Seidenberg M, Binder J . Modulation of the semantic system by word imageability. Neuroimage. 2005; 27(1):188-200. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2005.04.012. View

19.

Rayner K, Foorman B, Perfetti C, Pesetsky D, Seidenberg M . How psychological science informs the teaching of reading. Psychol Sci. 2002; 2(2 Suppl):31-74. DOI: 10.1111/1529-1006.00004.. View

20.

Ziegler J, Goswami U . Reading acquisition, developmental dyslexia, and skilled reading across languages: a psycholinguistic grain size theory. Psychol Bull. 2005; 131(1):3-29. DOI: 10.1037/0033-2909.131.1.3. View