Wang Fang, Kaneshiro Blair, Toomarian Elizabeth Y, Gosavi Radhika S, Hasak Lindsey R, Moron Suanna, Nguyen Quynh Trang H, Norcia Anthony M, McCandliss Bruce D
Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.
Synapse School, Menlo Park, California, USA.
Dev Sci. 2024 Mar;27(2):e13435. doi: 10.1111/desc.13435. Epub 2023 Jul 19.
Learning to read depends on the ability to extract precise details of letter combinations, which convey critical information that distinguishes tens of thousands of visual word forms. To support fluent reading skill, one crucial neural developmental process is one's brain sensitivity to statistical constraints inherent in combining letters into visual word forms. To test this idea in early readers, we tracked the impact of two years of schooling on within-subject longitudinal changes in cortical responses to three different properties of words: coarse tuning for print, and fine tuning to either familiar letter combinations within visual word forms or whole word representations. We then examined how each related to growth in reading skill. Three stimulus contrasts-words versus pseudofonts, words versus pseudowords, pseudowords versus nonwords-were presented while high-density EEG Steady-State Visual Evoked Potentials (SSVEPs, n = 31) were recorded. Internalization of abstract visual word form structures over two years of reading experience resulted in a near doubling of SSVEP amplitude, with increasing left lateralization. Longitudinal changes (decreases) in brain responses to such word form structural information were linked to the growth in reading skills, especially in rapid automatic naming of letters. No such changes were observed for whole word representation processing and coarse tuning for print. Collectively, these findings indicate that sensitivity to visual word form structure develops rapidly through exposure to print and is linked to growth in reading skill. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Longitudinal changes in cognitive responses to coarse print tuning, visual word from structure, and whole word representation were examined in early readers. Visual word form structure processing demonstrated striking patterns of growth with nearly doubled in EEG amplitude and increased left lateralization. Longitudinal changes (decreases) in brain responses to visual word form structural information were linked to the growth in rapid automatic naming for letters. No longitudinal changes were observed for whole word representation processing and coarse tuning for print.
学习阅读依赖于提取字母组合精确细节的能力，这些字母组合传达了关键信息，从而区分出数以万计的视觉单词形式。为了支持流畅的阅读技能，一个关键的神经发育过程是大脑对将字母组合成视觉单词形式时所固有的统计约束的敏感度。为了在早期阅读者中验证这一观点，我们追踪了两年的学校教育对受试者大脑皮质对单词三种不同属性反应的纵向变化的影响：对印刷体的粗调谐，以及对视觉单词形式内熟悉字母组合或整个单词表征的微调谐。然后，我们研究了每一项如何与阅读技能的增长相关。在记录高密度脑电图稳态视觉诱发电位（SSVEPs，n = 31）的同时，呈现了三种刺激对比——单词与伪字体、单词与伪单词、伪单词与非单词。经过两年的阅读经验，抽象视觉单词形式结构的内化导致SSVEP振幅几乎翻倍，且左侧化增加。大脑对这种单词形式结构信息的反应的纵向变化（减少）与阅读技能的增长相关，尤其是在字母的快速自动命名方面。对于整个单词表征处理和印刷体粗调谐，未观察到此类变化。总体而言，这些发现表明，对视觉单词形式结构的敏感度通过接触印刷体而迅速发展，并与阅读技能的增长相关。研究亮点：在早期阅读者中研究了对印刷体粗调谐、视觉单词形式结构和整个单词表征的认知反应的纵向变化。视觉单词形式结构处理表现出显著的增长模式，脑电图振幅几乎翻倍，左侧化增加。大脑对视觉单词形式结构信息的反应的纵向变化（减少）与字母快速自动命名的增长相关。对于整个单词表征处理和印刷体粗调谐，未观察到纵向变化。
