The Emergence of Automaticity in Reading: Effects of Orthographic Depth and Word Decoding Ability on an adjusted Stroop measure

TY - JOUR

T1 - The Emergence of Automaticity in Reading: Effects of Orthographic Depth and Word Decoding Ability on an adjusted Stroop measure

AU - Megherbi, Hakima

AU - Elbro, Carsten

AU - Oakhill, Jane V.

AU - Segui, Juan

AU - New, Boris

PY - 2018/2

Y1 - 2018/2

N2 - How long does it take for word reading to become automatic? Does the appearance and development of automaticity differ as a function of orthographic depth (e.g., French vs. English)? These questions were addressed in a longitudinal study of English and French beginning readers. The study focused on automaticity as obligatory processing as measured in the Stroop test. Measures of decoding ability and the Stroop effect were taken at three time points during first grade (and during second grade in the United Kingdom) in 84 children. The study is the first to adjust the classic Stroop effect for inhibition (of distracting colors). The adjusted Stroop effect was zero in the absence of reading ability, and it was found to develop in tandem with decoding ability. After a further control for decoding, no effects of age or orthography were found on the adjusted Stroop measure. The results are in line with theories of the development of whole word recognition that emphasize the importance of the acquisition of the basic orthographic code.

AB - How long does it take for word reading to become automatic? Does the appearance and development of automaticity differ as a function of orthographic depth (e.g., French vs. English)? These questions were addressed in a longitudinal study of English and French beginning readers. The study focused on automaticity as obligatory processing as measured in the Stroop test. Measures of decoding ability and the Stroop effect were taken at three time points during first grade (and during second grade in the United Kingdom) in 84 children. The study is the first to adjust the classic Stroop effect for inhibition (of distracting colors). The adjusted Stroop effect was zero in the absence of reading ability, and it was found to develop in tandem with decoding ability. After a further control for decoding, no effects of age or orthography were found on the adjusted Stroop measure. The results are in line with theories of the development of whole word recognition that emphasize the importance of the acquisition of the basic orthographic code.

KW - Faculty of Humanities

KW - læsning

KW - automatisering

KW - stroop

KW - inhibering

U2 - 10.1016/j.jecp.2017.09.016

DO - 10.1016/j.jecp.2017.09.016

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 29125951

SN - 0022-0965

VL - 166

SP - 652

EP - 663

JO - Journal of Experimental Child Psychology

JF - Journal of Experimental Child Psychology

ER -