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Although most words have more than one meaning, the mechanisms underlying new-meaning learning have been understudied. This one-to-many mapping poses even greater challenges for second language learners. The present study examined the behavioral mechanisms underlying new-meaning learning among non-native speakers by focusing on the effects of word familiarity, an approximate measure of lexical quality. We found that learning new meanings for more familiar L2 words was easier, as indicated by better recognition and cued-recall performance throughout the learning phase and in delayed tests. Furthermore, new-meaning learning facilitated, rather than impeded, the processing of original meanings, especially after a delay. Comparing these findings with those from previous studies involving native speakers, it appears that lexical quality influences how new and prior knowledge interact during new-meaning learning.

Phonological interference during written-word meaning judgments occurs in both Chinese and English, suggesting that word-level phonological activation is universal rather than dependent on the sublexical structures that vary with writing systems. To accommodate this universality, we distinguish two sources of phonological congruence between a meaning-bearing orthographic unit (word or character) and other units in the orthographic lexicon: (a) Global congruence between a word (or character) and its orthographic neighbors having the same pronunciation and (b) Local congruence between a word (or character) and its graphic constituents (letters or radicals). Recent evidence by Zhou and Perfetti in 2021 shows a greater role for global than local congruence in covert naming of Chinese characters. We hypothesize this is true also for meaning processing and use behavioral and event-related potential (ERP) measures to test this hypothesis during character meaning judgments. As expected, we found word-level phonological interference in meaning decision times. Further, ERPs detected interference effects related to global congruence at early and mid-latency ERP components; local congruence effects emerged only in interaction with global congruence. A late ERP component (LPC) also showed phonological interference, but no effect on mapping congruence. These time-course results suggest two phases of phonological activation: (a) character identification, influenced mainly by global congruence, as indicated in early and mid-latency ERP components and (b) meaning comparison, influenced only by lexical phonology, as indicated by the LPC component. The early phase of lexical processing is much the same whether meaning or pronunciation is required because it engages ortho-phonological associations that are not easily suppressed.

Dyslexic children often fail to correct errors while reading aloud, and dyslexic adolescents and adults exhibit lower amplitudes of the error-related negativity (ERN)--the neural response to errors--than typical readers during silent reading. Past researchers therefore suggested that dyslexia may arise from a faulty error detection mechanism that interferes with orthographic learning and text comprehension. An alternative possibility is that comprehension difficulty in dyslexics is primarily a downstream effect of low-quality lexical representations--that is, poor word knowledge. On this view, the attenuated ERN in dyslexics is a byproduct, rather than a source, of underdeveloped orthographic knowledge. Because the second view implies a direct association of the error response with comprehension skill in populations of all ability levels, the present study evaluates these alternatives through a reanalysis of behavioral and neural data from 31 typical adult readers. If it is true that faulty error processing can manifest as dyslexia, a model in which error monitoring contributes directly to comprehension should outperform a model in which it does not. ERNs recorded during spelling judgments were used as a measure of error detection aptitude in path analyses of reading comprehension. The data were better fit by a model in which error detection aptitude was a consequence of word knowledge than a model in which it contributed directly to comprehension. The findings challenge the notion that comprehension difficulty in dyslexics is attributable to error processing deficits and are consistent with the hypothesis that comprehension difficulty in dyslexics is partially attributable to low-quality word knowledge.

Eye tracking and event-related potentials (ERPs) have complementary advantages in the study of reading processes. We used eye tracking to extend ERP evidence of Helder et al. (2020) that word-to-text integration at the beginnings and ends of sentences is primarily determined by local text factors (antecedents in a previous sentence) but that global factors (central theme) may make these antecedents more accessible in memory and thus facilitate their integration. The ERP evidence for these conclusions comes from the N400 on a target noun, which varied with the appearance of an antecedent in the previous sentence and whether that antecedent was related to the passage theme. Here, using the same materials, we report eye tracking evidence that reflects not only integration processes indexed by fixation on target words and words following, but also regressions to the antecedent, a measure not possible with ERPs. Interestingly, conclusions from eye-tracking measures align generally with those from Helder et al., but reading times did not consistently correspond to reduced N400s. A distinctive eye-tracking result is that when antecedents were not related to the central theme of the passage (thus less accessible in memory) there was a greater likelihood of return to the antecedent from the regions beyond the target word. These findings demonstrate an independent influence of both local and global context on reading patterns that are unique to eye-tracking measurement, thus both converging with ERP conclusions and adding new ones.

In this article, we provide a cross-linguistic perspective on the universals and particulars in learning to read across seventeen different orthographies. Starting from the assumption that reading reflects a learned sensitivity to the systematic relationships between the surface forms of words and their meanings, we chose a broad group of seventeen languages, representing syllabic, morphosyllabic, alphasyllabic (abugida), abjad, and alphabetic writing systems. We investigated the systematic variation among these languages in their written forms and in their mapping of writing units to language units, and demonstrated the universality of operating principles in learning to read across languages and writing systems.

When reading in a second language, a reader's first language may be involved. For word reading, the question is how and at what level: lexical, pre-lexical, or both. In three experiments, we employed an implicit reading task (color judgment) and an explicit reading task (word naming) to test whether a Chinese meaning equivalent character and its sub-character orthography are activated when first language (L1) Chinese speakers read second language (L2) English words. Because Chinese and English have different spoken and written forms, any cross language effects cannot arise from shared written and spoken forms. Importantly, the experiments provide a comparison with single language experiments within Chinese, which show cross-writing system activation when words are presented in alphabetic Pinyin, leading to activation of the corresponding character and also its sub-character (radical) components. In the present experiments, Chinese-English bilinguals first silently read or made a meaning judgment on an English word. Immediately following, they judged the color of a character (Experiments 1A and 1B) or named it (Experiment 2). Four conditions varied the relation between the character that is the meaning equivalent of the English word and the following character presented for naming or color judgment. The experiments provide evidence that the Chinese meaning equivalent character is activated during the reading of the L2 English. In contrast to the within-Chinese results, the activation of Chinese characters did not extend to the sub-character level. This pattern held for both implicit reading (color judgment) and explicit reading (naming) tasks, indicating that for unrelated languages with writing systems, L1 activation during L2 reading occurs for the specific orthographic L1 form (a single character), mediated by meaning. We conclude that differences in writing systems do not block cross-language co-activation, but that differences in languages limit co-activation to the lexical level.

The study of word-to-text integration (WTI) provides a window on incremental processes that link the meaning of a word to the preceding text. We review a research program using event-related potential indicators of WTI at sentence beginnings, thus localizing sources of integration to prior text meaning independently of the current sentence. The results led to the following conclusions. First, integration occurs when the word being read cues the retrieval of a text meaning from memory. Second, when the word does not cue retrieval, new structure building rather than integration is the default at sentence beginnings. Third, integration depends on a highly accessible text memory. The immediate preceding sentence provides the primary source for integration; however, instructions that encourage attention to thematic elements enable influences of global text meaning. Finally, contrary to the role that prediction may play in comprehension generally, prediction has a limited role in WTI at sentence beginnings.

From massive open online courses (MOOC) to the smaller scale use of learning management systems, many students interact with online platforms that are meant to support learning. Investigations into the use of these systems have considered how well students learn when certain approaches are employed. However, we do not fully understand how course type or system design influence student actions and experiences, meaning prior findings cannot be properly interpreted and used because we do not understand how these factors influence those findings. Accordingly, we conducted a study to compare student experiences and behaviors across learning management systems and courses from a learning analytics perspective. Differences in student behaviors and experiences highlight how system design and the nature of the course interact: Students reported increased learning support when using a system that foregrounds student interaction through discussion forums, but this relationship did not hold across all course types. Similarly, students from the content-delivery focused system spent more time online while feeling less supported regardless of which type of course they were taking. This newly found evidence for the often-interrelated influence that the course and system have on student experiences and behaviors should therefore be considered when selecting a system to meet particular pedagogical goals.

Can integration processes during reading be detected in the N400 time window? Although many results have supported this possibility, recent research controlling for semantic priming concluded that only word-meaning retrieval is detected in the N400 [Delogu, F., Brouwer, H., & Crocker, M. W. (2019). Event-related potentials index lexical retrieval (N400) and integration (P600) during language comprehension. Brain and Cognition, 135, 103569. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandc.2019.05.007]. We report three experiments designed to detect N400 integration effects by encouraging situation-level comprehension, manipulating integration difficulty through event congruence. Experiments 1 and 2 created narrative texts and questions targeting attention to event structures, showing priming but no additional integration effects. In Experiment 3, readers formed mental images, updating their mental model with each sentence. The results show integration effects during the N400 window and later around 600 ms, indicating both priming and message-level integration effects can emerge in the N400 when readers engage in situational comprehension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In light of the dramatic growth of Chinese learners worldwide and a need for a cross-linguistic research on Chinese literacy development, this study investigated (a) the effects of character properties (i.e., orthographic consistency and transparency) on character acquisition, and (b) the effects of individual learner differences (i.e., orthographic awareness and phonological awareness) on character recognition. Chinese native-speaking children (over N = 100 for each of grade 1 to 6) completed a lexical decision task. Crossed random effects models suggested (a) character-level orthographic and phonological effects contributed to character recognition development in an asymptotic way from grade 1 to 6, with a moderate effect at earlier ages of acquisition and a stronger facilitation after grade 3; (b) child-level effects of orthographic awareness and character-reading level contributed to all types of characters; (c) the interaction between orthographic consistency and orthographic awareness grew more pronounced among typically developing children progressively from grade 1 to grade 6; and (d) this interaction of character- and child-level factors was not significantly associated with literacy development among children with poor reading skills. We discuss theoretical and practical implications for character development among typically and nontypically developing children.

Previous research with alphasyllabaries has shown that children struggle with akshara that have two or more consonants, known as complex akshara. We developed a mobile game that teaches 4th grade children Hindi decoding skills, with an emphasis on complex akshara. All of the children were second language learners of Hindi. There were two versions of the game that varied in terms of stimuli spacing (massed and distributed). We found that the game improved participants' akshara recognition and their ability to read and spell words that contain complex akshara. There is also evidence of learning in the online data; participants were able to more quickly arrive at the correct answers as the game progressed. Both versions of the game yielded equivalent levels of improvement, but participants played the massed version faster. The spacing results are interpreted using the desirable difficulties framework. Overall, the results suggest that mobile technology can effectively improve akshara knowledge.

The error-related negativity (ERN) is an event-related potential (ERP) component generated in anterior cingulate cortexthat reflects reward sensitivity and error aversion (Hajcak & Foti, 2008). In a spelling decision task that included a mon-etary reward for good performance, Harris, Perfetti, and Rickles (2014) found that mean ERN amplitude was associatedwith an offline behavioral measure of spelling knowledge, suggesting that expert spellers are more error-averse during areward-based spelling task than those with less expertise. However, task performance alone is an imperfect indicator of ex-pertise, because a correct response could result from guessing or motor error. In the present study, we investigated whetherthe left-lateralized N170, an ERP component directly tied to orthographic expertise, was associated with ERN effect size inthe spelling decision task. We found that mean N170 amplitude correlated positively with mean ERN amplitude, indicatingthat experts experience greater aversion to errors than non-experts.

Purpose: Improving vocabulary knowledge is important for many adolescents, but there are few evidence-based vocabulary instruction programs available for high school students. The purpose of this article is to describe the iterative development of the DictionarySquared research platform, a web-based vocabulary program that provides individualized vocabulary instruction, and to report the results of 2 pilot studies examining the feasibility of implementation and potential effectiveness with high school students. Method: We describe our theory of change and 5 phases of iterative development. In Phases 1 and 2, we evaluated the initial implementation of DictionarySquared and revised the instructional materials. In Phase 3, we conducted a feasibility study involving 169 high school students who used the program for 4 weeks. Student usage data and feedback from teachers were used to guide program revisions in Phase 4. In Phase 5, we examined potential effectiveness for 264 high school students who were assigned to use the program for 1 semester. Results: Results of the Phase 3 study indicated that implementation of the program was feasible, although usage was below assigned levels. Results of the Phase 5 study indicated that the duration of active program usage significantly predicted posttest vocabulary scores on the proximal assessment after controlling for pretest standardized vocabulary scores. Analyses using propensity score matching revealed positive, but nonsignificant, gains on standardized assessments between pre- and posttests. Conclusion: Together, the results of early-stage pilot studies are promising and suggest that a more rigorous test of efficacy is warranted. Successful implementation of the DictionarySquared research program, as well as lessons learned from the program development process, will expand the range of evidence-based treatment options that clinicians and educators can use to improve adolescent vocabulary and reading comprehension skills.

Despite the accumulation of substantial cognitive science research relevant to education, there remains confusion and controversy in the application of research to educational practice. In support of a more systematic approach, we describe the Knowledge-Learning-Instruction (KLI) framework. KLI promotes the emergence of instructional principles of high potential for generality, while explicitly identifying constraints of and opportunities for detailed analysis of the knowledge students may acquire in courses. Drawing on research across domains of science, math, and language learning, we illustrate the analyses of knowledge, learning, and instructional events that the KLI framework affords. We present a set of three coordinated taxonomies of knowledge, learning, and instruction. For example, we identify three broad classes of learning events (LEs): (a) memory and fluency processes, (b) induction and refinement processes, and (c) understanding and sense-making processes, and we show how these can lead to different knowledge changes and constraints on optimal instructional choices. (Contains 9 notes, 6 tables, and 1 figure.)

Consolidation is essential to integrating novel words into the mental lexicon; however, its role in learning new meanings for known words remains unclear. This old-form-new-meaning learning is very common, as when one learns that "skate" is also a type of fish in addition to its familiar roller- or ice-skating meaning. To address consolidation effects for new meanings, we compared the behavioural and ERP measures on new and original meanings tested 24 h after learning with words tested immediately after learning. Semantic judgments of both new and original meanings benefitted from the study-test interval. However, N400 amplitudes on studied words – indicators of meaning access from semantic memory – were unaffected by learning or consolidation. These results suggest that while sleep benefits memory for new meanings, the new meanings do not become integrated into the mental lexicon within that period. Instead, episodic retrieval remains functional in accessing new meanings even after 24 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Share (1995) proposed "phonological recoding" (the translation of letters into sounds) as a self-teaching mechanism through which readers establish complete lexical representations. More recently, McKague et al. (2008) proposed a similar role for "orthographic recoding", that is, feedback from sounds to letters, in building and refining lexical representations. We reasoned that an interaction between feedback consistency measures and spelling ability in a spelling decision experiment would lend support to this hypothesis. In a linear mixed effects logistic regression of accuracy data, this interaction was significant. Better spellers but not poorer spellers were immune to feedback effects in deciding if a word is spelled correctly, which is consistent with McKague et al.'s prediction that the impact of phonological feedback on word recognition will diminish when the orthographic representation for an item is fully specified. The study demonstrates the importance of considering individual differences when investigating the role of phonology in reading.

Two experiments demonstrate that individual differences among normal adult readers, including lexical quality, are expressed in silent reading at the word level. In the first of two studies we identified major dimensions of variability among college readers and among words using factor analysis. We then examined the effects of these dimensions of variability on eye movements during paragraph reading. More experienced readers (who also were higher in reading speed) read words more quickly, especially less frequent words, while readers with higher lexical knowledge showed shorter early fixations, especially for more frequent words. These results suggest that individual differences in reading may reflect differences in the quality of lexical representations and in reading experience, which is a source of lexical quality. In a second study, we controlled the lexical knowledge readers obtained from new words through a training paradigm that varied exposure to a word's orthographic, phonological, and meaning constituents. Training exposure to orthographic and phonological constituents affected first pass reading measures, and phonological and meaning training affected second pass measures. Incomplete knowledge of word components slowed first pass reading times, compared to both more complete knowledge and no knowledge. Training effects were mediated by individual differences, pointing to lexical quality and reading experience--which, combined reflect reading "expertise"--as important in word reading as part of text reading.

The visual complexity of orthographies varies across writing systems. Prior research has shown that complexity strongly influences the initial stage of reading development: the perceptual learning of grapheme forms. This study presents a computational simulation that examines the degree to which visual complexity leads to grapheme learning difficulty. We trained each of 131 identical neural networks to learn the structure of a different orthography and demonstrated a strong, positive association between network learning difficulty and multiple dimensions of grapheme complexity. We also tested the model's performance against grapheme complexity effects on behavioral same/different judgments. Although the model was broadly consistent with human performance in how processing difficulty depended on the complexity of the tested orthography, as well as its relationship to viewers' first-language orthography, discrepancies provided insight into important limitations of the model. We discuss how visual complexity can be a factor leading to reading difficulty across writing systems.