A Dual Coding Theoretical Model of Decoding in Reading: Subsuming the Laberge and Samuels Model

In this article we present a detailed Dual Coding Theory (DCT) model of decoding. The DCT model reinterprets and subsumes The LaBerge and Samuels (1974) model of the reading process which has served well to account for decoding behaviors and the processes that underlie them. However, the LaBerge and Samuels model has had little to say about comprehension processes. Its subsumption into DCT provides an account of decoding in DCT terms and connects it to the established DCT explanation of comprehension. Relevant research evidence is reviewed. We propose that this constitutes an incremental advancement toward unifying theories in reading.