Modularity and Learning to Read.
| Number | 784 |
|---|---|
| Year | 1991 |
| Drawer | 14 |
| Entry Date | 11/05/1999 |
| Authors | Crain, S., & Shankweiler, D. |
| Contact | |
| Publication | In Mattingly, I. G., & Studdert-Kennedy, M. (eds.), Modularity and the motor theory of speech perception. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers: Hillsdale, NJ. (pp.375-391). |
| url | http://www.haskins.yale.edu/Reprints/HL0784.pdf |
| Abstract | This chapter explains how a limitation in phonological processing gives rise both to word decoding and sentence comprehension difficulties in poor readers. The explanation rests on several assumptions about the architecture of the language apparatus. Most generally, the language apparatus is viewed as an autonomous system in the sense that its operations are sealed off from the general purpose cognitive systems concerned with inference making and real world knowledge. More specifically, to explain how a single deficit at one level can give rise to problems at other levels, we propose that the language apparatus consists of hierarchially organized subcomponents: the phonology, the lexicon, syntax, and semantics. These submodules are seen to function independently of each other, with information flowing unidirectionally from lower to higher levels. The flow of information between levels is regulated by the “executive component” of verbal working memory, which is grounded in phonological operations. Poor readers are deficient in setting up and organizing phonological structures, thus, sentence comprehension is compromised, because inefficient working memory creates a “bottleneck” that constricts information flow to higher levels of language processing. |
| Notes |
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