Researchers have developed a training method to improve reading efficiency by training individuals to distinguish between known and unknown words. This method of enhancing word recognition and processing has shown promising results in research and will be expanded in future research funded by the German Research Foundation. Credit: SciTechDaily.com
Researchers from the Universities of Cologne and Würzburg have found that through a training study, individuals can improve their ability to distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar words and increase their reading efficiency. Recognizing words is necessary to understand the meaning of a sentence. When we read, our eyes move from word to word very efficiently and quickly. This reading flow is interrupted when you encounter an unfamiliar word. This is a common situation when learning a new language.
The words of the new language may not yet be fully understood, and language-specific peculiarities in spelling still need to be internalized. A team of psychologists led by Dr. Benjamin Gargle, deputy professor at the Faculty of Human Sciences at the University of Cologne, has discovered a way to optimize this process.
Current research results are npj science of learning With the title “Investigation of lexical classification in reading based on a collaborative diagnostic and training approach for language learners''. From May, a follow-up study to expand the training program will be carried out within a project funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).
“Reading is essential for information processing,” says lead author Benjamin Gagle, who has long studied the cognitive and neural processes involved in word recognition. Two years ago, he and his research team discovered that psychological theory is improving our understanding of the processes that take place in word recognition. We have shown that we have not made sufficiently accurate assumptions about
To fill this knowledge gap, Gagl and his colleagues developed a model that uses well-established behavioral findings in psychology to predict activation of this reading region in the brain. This model serves as the basis for the training program described in the new study.
Word filters as building blocks for efficient reading
This model posits that this brain region acts like a filter, separating known words from unrelated or as-yet-unknown letter combinations. Only known words are allowed to “pass through” to begin the resulting language processing. But when you come across a new word, you can't keep reading and have to look it up in a dictionary or on the Internet to understand its meaning.
The core training procedure of the current study was motivated by the assumption of a “lexical classification model.” Behavioral studies have shown that reading skills improve when participants are trained in this filtering process, which is central to effective reading. The training procedure involved a simple task in which the reader pressed a button to distinguish between words and nonwords (e.g., path and path).
After three days of training, reading comprehension improved significantly in three separate studies. The team also machine learningBased diagnostic procedures improve training efficiency by detecting participants who do not seem to benefit from further training. This allows you to make individual decisions for each learner as to whether lexical classification training is worth the effort, or whether you should perform another training instead.
A new way to compensate for reading and writing problems
As part of a newly won project funded by DFG starting May 1, researchers will further develop computer models to motivate new training approaches for language learning and other reading disabilities compensation. In addition to the field of German as a foreign language, the training approach could also be used to treat dyslexia.
“Neurocognitive computer models can be used to implement fundamental scientific findings used in individualized diagnostic training programs in educational and clinical settings. , and significantly improve their information processing skills,” says Gagl.
References: “Investigating lexical classification in reading based on a collaborative diagnostic and training approach for language learners” by Benjamin Gagl and Klara Gregorová, April 10, 2024. npj science of learning.
DOI: 10.1038/s41539-024-00237-7
