Modeling reading development: cumulative, incremental learning in a computational model of word naming

TY - JOUR

T1 - Modeling reading development

T2 - cumulative, incremental learning in a computational model of word naming

AU - Monaghan, Padraic

AU - Ellis, Andrew W.

PY - 2010/11

Y1 - 2010/11

N2 - Natural reading development gradually builds up to the adult vocabulary over a period of years. This has an effect on lexical processing: early-acquired words are processed more quickly and more accurately than later-acquired words. We present a connectionist model of reading, learning to map orthography onto phonology to simulate this natural reading development. The model learned early words more robustly than late words, and also showed interactions between age of acquisition and spelling-sound consistency that have been reported for skilled adult readers. In additional simulations, we demonstrated that age of acquisition effects are a consequence of incremental exposure to words in concert with changes in plasticity as learning proceeds, and are not due to uncontrolled differences in ease of reading between early and late-acquired words. Models which do not learn through cumulative training are unable to explain age of acquisition and related effects. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

AB - Natural reading development gradually builds up to the adult vocabulary over a period of years. This has an effect on lexical processing: early-acquired words are processed more quickly and more accurately than later-acquired words. We present a connectionist model of reading, learning to map orthography onto phonology to simulate this natural reading development. The model learned early words more robustly than late words, and also showed interactions between age of acquisition and spelling-sound consistency that have been reported for skilled adult readers. In additional simulations, we demonstrated that age of acquisition effects are a consequence of incremental exposure to words in concert with changes in plasticity as learning proceeds, and are not due to uncontrolled differences in ease of reading between early and late-acquired words. Models which do not learn through cumulative training are unable to explain age of acquisition and related effects. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

KW - Reading

KW - Word naming

KW - Age of acquisition

KW - Consistency

KW - Frequency

KW - Neighbors

KW - Computational modeling

KW - AGE-OF-ACQUISITION

KW - SPELLING-SOUND CONSISTENCY

KW - FREQUENCY HYPOTHESIS

KW - VANDERWART PICTURES

KW - LEXICAL-DECISION

KW - ITEM LEVEL

KW - RECOGNITION

KW - TASKS

KW - VARIABLES

KW - LATENCY

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=78049286691&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.jml.2010.08.003

DO - 10.1016/j.jml.2010.08.003

M3 - Article

SN - 0749-596X

VL - 63

SP - 506

EP - 525

JO - Journal of Memory and Language

JF - Journal of Memory and Language

IS - 4

ER -