Predicting dyslexia at 8 years of age using neonatal brain responses

Auditory event-related potentials recorded at birth to speech and nonspeech syllables from six scalp electrodes discriminated between newborn infants who 8 years later would be characterized as dyslexic, poor, or normal readers. These findings indicate that reading problems can be identified and possible interventions undertaken up to 9 years earlier than is currently possible.     

Temporal processing and phonological impairment in dyslexia: effect of phoneme lengthening on order judgment of two consonants

The evidence of supporting phonological deficit as a cause of developmental dyslexia has been accumulating rapidly over the past 2 decades, yet the exact mechanisms underlying this deficit remain controversial. Some authors assume that a temporal processing deficit is the source of the phonological disorder observed in dyslexic children. Others maintain that the phonological deficit in dyslexia is basically linguistic, not acoustic, in nature. Three experiments were conducted and tested the impact of the temporal alteration and the impact of complex syllabic structure on consonant order judgments. Thirteen phonological dyslexics (age 10-13) and 10 controls matched for chronologial age were compared on a Temporal Order Judgment (TOJ) task using the succession of two consonants (/p/ /s/) within a cluster. In order to test the possible relevance of the temporal deficit hypothesis, the task also included two additional conditions where either the two stimuli were artificially slowed or two phonological structures were opposed (CCV and CVCV). As expected, the TOJ performance was significantly poorer in dyslexics than in controls. Moreover, in the "slowed speech" condition dyslexics' performance improved to reach the normal controls' level, whereas manipulating the phonological structure complexity provided no significant improvement. Finally dyslexics' performances, especially on the slowed condition, were found correlated with several tests of phonological processing. These results lend support to the general temporal deficit theory of dyslexia.     

Time course of frequency effects in spoken-word recognition: evidence from eye movements

In two experiments, eye movements were monitored as participants followed spoken instructions to click on and move pictures with a computer mouse. In Experiment 1, a referent picture (e.g., the picture of a bench) was presented along with three pictures, two of which had names that shared the same initial phonemes as the name of the referent (e.g., bed and bell). Participants were more likely to fixate the picture with the higher frequency name (bed) than the picture with the lower frequency name (bell). In Experiment 2, referent pictures were presented with three unrelated distractors. Fixation latencies to referents with high-frequency names were shorter than those to referents with low-frequency names. The proportion of fixations to the referents and distractors were analyzed in 33-ms time slices to provide fine-grained information about the time course of frequency effects. These analyses established that frequency affects the earliest moments of lexical access and rule out a late-acting, decision-bias locus for frequency. Simulations using models in which frequency operates on resting-activation levels, on connection strengths, and as a postactivation decision bias provided further constraints on the locus of frequency effects.     

Right hemisphere semantic processing of visual words in an aphasic patient: an fMRI study

This study was designed to identify the neural network supporting the semantic processing of visual words in a patient with large-scale damage to left-hemisphere (LH) language structures. Patient GP, and a control subject, RT, performed semantic and orthographic tasks while brain-activation patterns were recorded using functional magnetic resonance imaging. In RT, the semantic-orthographic comparison activated LH perisylvian and extrasylvian temporal regions comparable to the network of areas activated by non-brain-damaged subjects in other neuroimaging studies of semantic discrimination. In GP, the same comparison activated homologous right-hemisphere regions, demonstrating the ability of the right hemisphere to subserve visual lexicosemantic processes. The results are discussed within the context of the normal right hemisphere's capacity for semantic processing of visual words. Examining results from functional neuroimaging studies on recovery in the context of innate hemispheric abilities may enable reconciliation of disparate claims about mechanisms supporting recovery from aphasia.     

发展性阅读障碍的视觉注意广度技能

发展性阅读障碍在许多任务中都出现同时性加工多个视觉刺激的困难, 即视觉注意广度缺陷.本文分别综述了国内外探查阅读障碍视觉注意广度的研究.目前, 相关研究结果仍存争议, 这可能与背景语言的正字法深度以及被试年龄发展差异有关.未来研究还需利用干预,跨语言比较等方法进一步探讨阅读障碍与视觉注意广度之间的关系, 并结合脑电,脑成像技术探究汉语阅读障碍视觉注意广度的内在神经机制.     

Attention to negative words predicts daily rumination among people with clinical depression: evidence from an eye tracking and daily diary study

The present study examined relationships between attention to negative words and daily rumination and daily adjustment in a sample of clinically depressed individuals. We recorded eye movements of 43 individuals diagnosed with major depression while they were freely viewing dysphoric, threat-related, neutral, and positive words. Then, each day for one week, participants provided measures of their daily rumination and psychological adjustment. Multilevel analyses found that attention to dysphoric and threat-related words was positively related to daily rumination and attention to threat-related words was negatively related to daily adjustment. These findings suggest that the impaired ability to disengage from negative words is positively related to rumination in daily life and is negatively related to well-being, as defined in terms of Beck’s Triad.     

Auditory processing in developmental dyslexia: An exploratory study of an auditory and visual matching training program with Swedish children with developmental dyslexia

This study examined whether training using a nonverbal auditory-visual matching task had a remedial effect on reading skills in developmental dyslexia. The pretest/post-test design was used with Swedish children ( N = 41), between the ages of 7 and 12. Training comprised twice-weekly sessions of 15 minutes, over eight weeks. There was an improvement in auditory-visual matching during the training period. There were also improvements in some reading test scores, especially in reading nonsense words and in reading speed. These improvements in tasks which are thought to rely on phonological processing suggest that such reading difficulties in dyslexia may stem in part from more basic perceptual difficulties, including those required to manage the visual and auditory components of the decoding task. The utility of the concept of auditory structuring is discussed in relation to auditory and phonological processing skills when a child learns to read.     

阅读研究中的主要眼动指标评述

眼跳和注视是阅读过程中的两种基本眼动现象.目前在对阅读的眼动研究中分析指标主要包括两类,一类是与眼睛何时移动有关的时间维度的眼动指标,具体包括以字或词为兴趣区的眼动指标,如单一注视时间、首次注视时间、第二次注视时间、凝视时间、离开目标后的首次注视时间、回视时间和总注视时间等,以及以短语或句子为兴趣区的眼动指标,如第一遍阅读时间、向前阅读时间、第二遍阅读时间、回视路径阅读时间、重读时间等.另一类是与眼睛移动位置有关的空间维度的眼动指标,具体包括眼跳距离、注视位置、注视次数、跳读率、再注视比率和回视次数等.在使用眼动指标时,需要注意眼动指标的分类、原始数据的删除标准以及眼动指标的选择等问题.     

Reading Text Under Normal and Disappearing Presentation Conditions

InthispaperIwillsummariseaseriesofex鄄perimentsinwhichwe[1,2]investigatedwhetheritwaspossibletoinducea"gapeffect"duringreadingandtoexaminehowwellpeoplecanreadwhenthetextliterallydisappearsfrominfrontoftheireyes.Tocarryouttheworkwerecordedreaders'eyemovementsandemployedanovelsac鄄cadecontingentchangetechniqueinwhichwemadethewordthatthereaderwasfixatingdisap鄄pear60msafterfixationonset.Inadditiontoin鄄vestigatingwhetheragapeffectmightoccurduringreading,thisworkalsoinvestigatedwhethertheprimaryde…     

Lexical Representation and Processing of Morphologically Complex Words: Evidence from the Reading Performance of an Italian Agrammatic Patient

The study of patients with acquired language disorders has provided crucial evidence for contemporary theories on mental lexical representation. This is particularly true for the representation of morphologically complex words. In this paper we analyzed the performance of a patient (M.B.) affected by agrammatism and dyslexia. M.B. was required to read aloud simple and morphologically complex words. The patient's pattern of errors was interpreted as the result of a predominant use of the lexical routine (phonological dyslexia). Three reading tasks were developed which allowed us to test M.B.'s ability to read morphologically complex words (reading of regular and irregular plurals; reading of high- and low-frequency singular and plural nouns; reading of evaluative suffixes). Errors were determined by frequency effect rather than by type of suffix (i.e., inflectional or derivational). High-frequency morphologically complex items seemed to meet stored representations, thus avoiding the parsing procedures that are required for less frequent items. These results are in keeping with dual route models of lexical representation of morphologically complex words.     

词边界信息对发展性阅读障碍儿童朗读和默读影响的眼动研究

以发展性阅读障碍儿童及与其年龄和阅读能力相匹配的儿童为对象,要求他们朗读或默读正常呈现或以词间空格形式呈现的文本,采用眼动仪记录儿童的眼动轨迹,目的是探讨词边界信息的引入对三组儿童朗读和默读的影响。结果发现,相较于正常儿童,阅读障碍儿童需要更多的总注视时间和总注视次数,更短的平均眼跳距离;与默读相比,所有儿童在朗读方式下的阅读加工更困难;相较于默读,词边界信息更多促进了儿童的朗读。     

发展性阅读障碍儿童阅读中的眼跳定位缺陷：基于新词学习的实验证据

通过与生理年龄匹配儿童比较新词重复学习中眼跳定位模式变化的异同, 探讨发展性阅读障碍儿童在新词学习中的眼跳定位是否存在缺陷。以发展性阅读障碍儿童和生理年龄匹配儿童为被试, 采用重复学习新词范式, 结果发现：(1)与生理年龄匹配组相比, 发展性阅读障碍儿童跳入新词的眼跳距离较短、首次注视落点位置更靠近词首; (2)生理年龄匹配组儿童利用学习次数调节新词眼跳定位模式的能力高于发展性阅读障碍儿童, 即随着新词学习次数的增加, 生理年龄匹配组儿童跳入和跳出新词的眼跳距离随之增长, 首次注视落点位置更靠近词中心; 相比之下, 发展性阅读障碍儿童仅在跳出新词的眼跳距离上有所增长, 但增加幅度也显著小于生理年龄匹配组。结果表明, 发展性阅读障碍儿童在新词学习中的眼跳定位, 及利用学习次数对眼跳定位的调节上均表现出一定缺陷。     

大学生英语语篇重复阅读的眼动研究

采用眼动追踪技术,考察重复阅读对母语为汉语的大学生阅读英语语篇的作用。研究采用2（目标词词频：高频、低频）×5（阅读遍数：1遍、2遍、3遍、4遍、5遍）的两因素被试内设计。结果发现：（1）随着阅读遍数的增加,读者的阅读理解正确率呈上升趋势,总阅读时间、注视次数、回视次数和平均注视时间显著降低,平均眼跳幅度显著增加;（2）阅读遍数与目标词词频的交互作用显著,表现为重复阅读对低频词识别的促进作用要显著大于对高频词识别的促进作用。研究表明重复阅读能够有效提高大学生对英语语篇的阅读效率。     

中文阅读中切词过程的年老化:眼动证据

研究包含两项实验考察中文阅读中的词切分是否受年老化影响。发现如下结果:(1)实验一显示,静态提示词汇正确边界(词间空格和词阴影条件)消极影响青年组总阅读时间的程度大于其对老年组的影响,静态提示词汇错误边界(非词空格)消极影响老年组总阅读时间的程度大于其对青年组的影响。(2)实验二显示,动态提示词汇正确边界(提示词n+1边界和提示词n边界)积极影响老年组总阅读时间的程度大于其对青年组的影响。(3)在眼动数据上,两项实验均发现呈现条件与组别交互影响凝视时间和跳读概率。总的来说,提示词汇(正确/错误)边界影响老年组句子阅读时间/眼动过程的模式不同于其对青年组的影响,说明中文阅读中的切词会受到年老化的影响。     

自然阅读的脑成像研究及其与眼动技术结合

以往的研究者主要采用单词系列呈现的实验范式对词、句子和篇章等材料进行阅读脑成像研究。针对近年来使用自然阅读范式的功能磁共振(fMRI)研究进行分析,建议在该范式下使用脑-眼动同步记录的方式,并介绍了基于注视编码的fMRI数据分析原理。新的范式和技术提高了fMRI研究的生态效度,有利于对阅读中眼动加工的脑机制进行探索,是相关研究的新趋势。未来需要在自然阅读fMRI实验中结合实验设计及其他技术以克服时间分辨率低的问题,同时要注意探讨阅读和眼动脑区的关系。     

中文词汇切分对眼动数据的影响

该研究使用眼动研究中的“边界”技术范式,材料中的关键词为前两个字为双字词的三字词,如“服务员”,和非三字词,如“服务体”,考察可能存在的中文词汇切分策略对眼动时间指标的影响。实验使用2×2被试内设计,第一个因素是三字词的词频：高频和低频,第二个因素为不同词频条件下的非三字词基线。实验结果是三字词预视条件下的注视时间短于非三字词预视条件下的注视时间。结果表明自然阅读中的词汇切分策略确实存在,并且可以在眼动的时间指标上表现出来,结果还暗示在词汇切分过程中,读者在心理词典中对三字词的搜索是必需的过程。     

中文阅读中长距离回视引导机制的眼动研究

从记忆的角度,探讨中文阅读中长距离回视的引导机制。采用眼动实验,操纵了回视条件(实验1)、回视可见性(实验2)、目标词位置及词频变量。结果发现:与不阅读组相比,阅读组的最初回视误差更小,定位效率更高;与可见组相比,不可见组累积回视距离更大,且难以正确定位目标;目标词位置主效应显著,而词频主效应不显著。结果表明,回视具有空间选择性,最初的回视由空间记忆引导,最初回视后的修正眼跳在文本可见情况下才能正常进行,而词频这一言语属性对回视没有显著影响,本研究结果支持了空间编码假设。     

Multi- and unisensory decoding of words and nonwords result in differential brain responses in dyslexic and nondyslexic adults

The present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study was designed, in order to investigate the neural substrates involved in the audiovisual processing of disyllabic German words and pseudowords. Twelve dyslexic and 13 nondyslexic adults performed a lexical decision task while stimuli were presented unimodally (either aurally or visually) or bimodally (audiovisually simultaneously).The behavioral data collected during the experiment evidenced more accurate processing for bimodally than for unimodally presented stimuli irrespective of group. Words were processed faster than pseudowords. Notably, no group differences have been found for either accuracy or for reaction times. With respect to brain responses, nondyslexic compared to dyslexic adults elicited stronger hemodynamic responses in the leftward supramarginal gyrus (SMG), as well as in the right hemispheric superior temporal sulcus (STS). Furthermore, dyslexic compared to nondyslexic adults showed reduced responses to only aurally presented signals and enhanced hemodynamic responses to audiovisual, as well as visual stimulation in the right anterior insula.Our behavioral results evidence that the two groups easily identified the two-syllabic proper nouns that we provided them with. Our fMRI results indicate that dyslexics show less neuronal involvement of heteromodal and extrasylvian regions, namely, the STS, SMG, and insula when decoding phonological information. We posit that dyslexic adults evidence deficient functioning of word processing, which could possibly be attributed to deficits in phoneme to grapheme mapping. This problem may be caused by impaired audiovisual processing in multimodal areas.