A programmatic line of research investigating the cognitive functioning of normal and learning disabled children will be conducted using memory conjunction errors and illusory conjunctions. Memory conjunction errors occur when an individual inappropriately combines features from different events to construct a novel event memory. The proposed research investigates the rote of gist memory in constraining the formation of memory conjunction errors. A similar type of error occurs in perception. Illusory conjunctions occur when basic level features from different objects are inappropriately bound together. Illusory conjunctions provide a means of assessing how individuals preattentively parse the world. This paradigm provides a tool for identifying differences in how normal and dyslexic children and adults parse words into reading units. Individuals are more likely to form illusory conjunctions by combining features from within the same reading unit than from different reading units. If dyslexics are unable to parse words into reading units they will not demonstrate this same pattern. Principles learned in this research will be applied to rehabilitation efforts.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
Postdoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F32)
Project #
1F32HD047074-01
Application #
6790236
Study Section
Child Psychopathology and Developmental Disabilities Study Section (CPDD)
Program Officer
Lyon, Reid G
Project Start
2004-07-30
Project End
2005-07-29
Budget Start
2004-07-30
Budget End
2005-07-29
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2004
Total Cost
$41,068
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Texas Arlington
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
064234610
City
Arlington
State
TX
Country
United States
Zip Code
76019
Odegard, Timothy N; Cooper, Crystal M; Lampinen, James M et al. (2009) Children's eyewitness memory for multiple real-life events. Child Dev 80:1877-90