Neuropsychological and Cognitive Processes in Reading

Neuropsychological and Cognitive Processes in Reading explores reading and reading disabilities within the context of cognitive psychology and neuropsychology. Emphasis is on the roles of brain mechanisms in reading and reading disturbances. In the areas of perception and cognition, theoretical models of the reading process are used to highlight the various psychological processes involved in the act of skilled reading. Comprised of 12 chapters, this volume begins with an introduction to the fundamental processes of reading, giving particular attention to a psychological theory that builds on two concepts: that the basic processes of reading are few in number, and that they are separable from one another. A useful and testable information-processing model of reading that consists of three separable, fundamental processes - decoding, word meaning, and sentence comprehension - is described. Subsequent chapters deal with some of the external and internal factors involved in reading; a model of disorders of reading comprehension (the alexias); the neuropsychological test performance of brain-damaged and non-brain-damaged dyslexic children; and the problem of subtypes of learning disability. Eye movements and perceptual spans in reading are also discussed, along with reading comprehension and the problem of agrammatism. The final chapter analyzes the factors that influence recovery from alexia. This book will be of interest to neuropsychologists and those engaged in neurolinguistics, psycholinguistics, cognitive psychology, and educational psychology.

List of ContributorsPrefaceI Models of Reading and Reading Disabilities 1 Separable Process in Reading Independent-Process Theory Independent-Process Models of Reading Conclusions References 2 A Framework for Understanding the Reading Process Factors Influencing Comprehension The LaBerge-Samuels Reading Model The Comprehension Process References 3 Alexia and the Neuroanatomical Basis of Reading Definitions Historical Background The Three Alexias Other Varieties of Reading Disturbance Theoretical Considerations Summary References 4 Dyslexia Syndromes in Children: Toward the Development of Syndrome-Specific Treatment Programs Syndrome-Specific Treatment Programs References 5 Learning Disability Subtypes: A Review Clinical-Inferential Classification Approaches Statistical Classification Approaches ReferencesII Perceptual and Imaginal Processes in Reading Comprehension 6 Eye Movements and the Perceptual Span in Reading Eye Movements in Reading Techniques to Study the Perceptual Span Summary of Research on the Perceptual Span Summary References 7 Perceptual Processes in Reading: An Analysis-By-Synthesis Model What Readers Might Know: Types of Knowledge Available for the Generation of Expectancies Evidence of Knowledge and Use of Redundancies by Readers The Information Processing of Feature Extraction and Hypothesis Testing ReferencesIII Visual and Linguistic Processes of Reading 8 On Functions of Pictures in Prose Pictures and Children's Prose Learning A Conceptual Framework for Prose-Learning Pictures Summary References 9 Reading Comprehension Reading Comprehension as a Generative Process Early Research on Reading Comprehension The Measurement of Reading Comprehension Attention Encoding and Memory Generative Processes Knowledge Base of the Learner Text and its Context Discussion References 10 Linguistic Factors in Reading Acquisition: Evidence for Developmental Changes Developmental Changes in Reading Acquisition Linguistic Attributes and Decoding Processes Linguistic Attributes and Comprehension Conclusions: Age-Dependent Relationships Similar Sequence Model of Developing Reader Neuropsychological Implications of the Model: Integrating Research Areas ReferencesIV Reading Disabilities 11 "Agrammatic" Reading Reading Single Words Oral Reading of Sentences What Is Agrammatic Reading? Conclusion: Oral Reading in Broca's Aphasia References 12 Recovery from Alexia: Factors Influencing Restoration of Function After Focal Cerebral Damage General Principles of Recovery of Function Recovery from Aphasia Recovery from Alexia: Early Studies The Time Course of Recovery: Recent Studies Summary ReferencesAuthor IndexSubject Index