Haskins Publications

Number	608
Year	1987
Drawer	11
Entry Date	11/17/1999
Authors	Crain, S.
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Publication	Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics, Vol. 1, No. 2, 127-145.
url	http://www.haskins.yale.edu/Reprints/HL0608.pdf
Abstract	A process model of sentence comprehension, drawing upon a modular conception of the lang apparatus, distinguishes several levels of structural representation as well as several special-purpose processing mechanisms, including the verbal working memory system. The perspective gained from considering the functional architecture of language processing allows advancing specific hypotheses about the causes of impaired performance in populations with notable language difficulties. To test among these hypotheses, a methodological prescription is given for disentangling the subcomponents of the language apparatus which are intertwined in ordinary language use. This prescription is followed in an attempt to uncover the cognitive & linguistic processes implicated in reading disorder. Empirical findings on both normal children & children who are reading disabled (second graders, N = 16 & 18, respectively) lend support to the view that comprehension failures by poor readers arise from limitations in language processing involving the working memory. This conclusion challenges the hypothesis that their reading difficulties reflect a developmental lag in the acquisition of syntax.
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