Processing of derived forms in high-functioning dyslexics

Ann Dyslexia. 2006 Jun;56(1):103-28. doi: 10.1007/s11881-006-0005-3.

Abstract

We report on an experiment designed to evaluate processing of derived forms in high-functioning dyslexics, defined as university students with a history of reading difficulties who have age-appropriate reading comprehension skills. We compared high-functioning dyslexics with a group of normal adult readers in their performance on a lexical decision task with derived items (such as cloudy and ably) and pseudo-derived items (such as belly and gravy). Some items contained an orthographic change (such as able-ably and gravy) and others did not (such as cloud - cloudy). The results indicated that although control participants' response times varied systematically as a function of morphological complexity, those of high-functioning dyslexics did not. Further, there was some evidence of a relationship between derivational processing and reading. It seems that high-functioning dyslexics have persistent difficulties in processing one particular aspect of morphology; that of derived forms.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Comprehension*
  • Decision Making
  • Dyslexia / diagnosis*
  • Educational Status
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Phonetics
  • Reaction Time
  • Reading*
  • Reference Values
  • Semantics*
  • Verbal Learning*
  • Writing*