Simultaneous training on overlapping grapheme phoneme correspondences augments learning and retention

Tanja C Roembke; Michael V Freedberg; Eliot Hazeltine; Bob McMurray

doi:10.1016/j.jecp.2019.104731

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Simultaneous training on overlapping grapheme phoneme correspondences augments learning and retention

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Simultaneous training on overlapping grapheme phoneme correspondences augments learning and retention

Tanja C Roembke, Michael V Freedberg, Eliot Hazeltine and Bob McMurray

Journal of experimental child psychology, Vol.191, pp.104731-104731

03/2020

DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2019.104731

PMID: 31786367

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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/7069098View

Open Access

Abstract

•Theories of statistical learning make different predictions on importance of vowel overlap.•First graders were trained on high overlap or low overlap set of vowels.•The high overlap group showed higher learning and retention of vowels.•No robust consonant variability benefit was observed.•Findings suggest letter overlap should be considered in curricula development. An important component of learning to read is the acquisition of letter-to-sound mappings. The sheer quantity of mappings and many exceptions in opaque languages such as English suggests that children may use a form of statistical learning to acquire them. However, whereas statistical models of reading are item-based, reading instruction typically focuses on rule-based approaches involving small sets of regularities. This discrepancy poses the question of how different groupings of regularities, an unexamined factor of most reading curricula, may affect learning. Exploring the interplay between item statistics and rules, this study investigated how consonant variability, an item-level factor, and the degree of overlap among the to-be-trained vowel strings, a group-level factor, influence learning. English-speaking first graders (N = 361) were randomly assigned to be trained on vowel sets with high overlap (e.g., EA, AI) or low overlap (e.g., EE, AI); this was crossed with a manipulation of consonant frame variability. Whereas high vowel overlap led to poorer initial performance, it resulted in more learning when tested immediately and after a 2-week-delay. There was little beneficial effect of consonant variability. These findings indicate that online letter/sound processing affects how new knowledge is integrated into existing information. Moreover, they suggest that vowel overlap should be considered when designing reading curricula.

Vowel overlap

Reading

Grapheme-phoneme-correspondence (GPC) regularities

Statistical learning

Variability

Reading acquisition

Details

Title: Subtitle: Simultaneous training on overlapping grapheme phoneme correspondences augments learning and retention
Creators: Tanja C Roembke - Institute of Psychology, RWTH Aachen University, D-52066 Aachen, Germany
Michael V Freedberg - Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20817, USA
Eliot Hazeltine - Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
Bob McMurray - Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of experimental child psychology, Vol.191, pp.104731-104731
DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2019.104731
PMID: 31786367
NLM abbreviation: J Exp Child Psychol
ISSN: 0022-0965
eISSN: 1096-0457
Publisher: Elsevier Inc
Grant note: DOI: 10.13039/100006418, name: Brown, award: BCS 1330318
Language: English
Date published: 03/2020
Academic Unit: Communication Sciences and Disorders; Psychiatry; Linguistics; Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute; Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science; Otolaryngology
Record Identifier: 9984070461402771

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