Informing methods of reading instruction with cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience

Abstract

Reading acquisition requires learning the associations between visual symbols and the sounds and meanings they represent. In alphabetic languages, the relationship between visual and spoken forms is relatively systematic, whereas the relationship between visual form and meaning is relatively arbitrary. Reading instruction that emphasises the relationship between spelling and sound (phonics) is therefore thought to be most effective, but opponents argue that this method does not improve reading comprehension. We simulated the process of reading acquisition by teaching adults to read artificial orthographies in two different ways, either focusing on spelling-to-sound or spelling-to-meaning mappings. Behavioural testing following nine days of training showed convincingly that the spelling-to-sound focus improved both reading aloud and comprehension, relative to the spelling-to-meaning focus. Neuroimaging data provided insight into why this is the case. Specifically, spelling-meaning training increased neural effort in dorsal pathway brain regions typically involved in reading aloud, and did not provide any benefit in terms of reduced neural effort in ventral pathway brain regions typically involved in reading comprehension. I conclude by discussing the broader contribution that cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience can make to education policy and practice.