In this project we use a multifaceted approach to test the view that deficits in phonological representation limit the development of phonological awareness abilities and success in learning to read and spell. Four lines of research are proposed. In the first we examine changes in phonological representation over the pre-school years, in early school age, and in adulthood. We plan to investigate whether there is a developmental progression toward increasingly segmental (phonemic) representation of words in speech production and verbal working memory, and whether there is an association between these measures of phonological processing and success in phoneme awareness and reading. Our second goal is to employ experimental procedures to investigate the basis and consequences of phonological deficits, focusing on an encoding hypothesis. In one study we plan to experimentally equate subjects on encoding performance, and then to examine whether individual differences in memory are consequently neutralized. In a second experiment, we test the prediction that individual differences in phonological coding in working memory relate to the ease of learning and retaining new lexical items. Third, we examine whether performance differences across reading skill are specific to phonological processes or stem from a more general deficit. Our third line of research is designed to refine our understanding of the pattern of relations among phonological processes implicated in reading by using path analysis procedures. In one study we explore the links relating phonological awareness, verbal working memory, and specific reading skills. In a second study we examine the contribution of perception and production factors to performance on working memory tasks, and investigate how each component relates to reading ability. Our final area of research explores the development of phonological and morphological awareness beyond early stages of reading acquisition, investigating factors that underlie differences in spelling performance. In sum, the experiments in this project are designed to further evaluate the significance of phonological processes in developing phonological awareness and in learning to read and spell.
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