Cross-modal semantic context boosts optimal reading at differents stages of reading development and in different orthographies.

Abstract

The current thesis examines how an auditory semantic input can be leveraged to cross-modally support visual orthographic processes in reading. More specifically, the three studies were designed to test whether an auditory sentence context boosts optimal lexical orthographic processing in readers at different stages of reading development, and in orthographies of different depths. The first study examined the cross-modal effect of an auditory sentence context to mitigate the negative effects of a purely visual manipulation (decreased letter spacing) in skilled reading adults. The second study examined the same cross-modal semantic context effects in two groups of developing readers: less experienced and advanced readers in Grade 3 and Grade 5, respectively. The third and final study investigated cross-linguistic differences in the effect of an auditory sentence context to boost visual word recognition and orthographic learning in Spanish and English adult readers. The present work suggests that auditory semantic information can support lexical orthographic processes in reading and provides evidence of cross-modal compensatory mechanisms in skilled readers which could vary as a function of the maturity of the reading system. In addition, the results from the final study suggest that cross-modal semantic information facilitates recognition of familiar written words in readers of both shallow and deep orthographies.