Hemispheric Asymmetry Profiles during Beginning Reading: Effects of Reading Level and Word Type

PORTA, MARIA ELSA;; KRAFT, ROSEMARIE; HARPER, LAWRENCE

Berlin, Alemania

Congreso; International Congress of Psychology, Berlín, Alemania; 2008

German Federation of Psychological Associations, under the auspices of the International Union of Psychological Science

We evaluated how right- and the left-temporal lobe activation of first (1stLR), second (2ndLR), and third (3rdLR) level readers (n=60; Age=6-to-9 years) varied with reading level, word characteristics, and cognitive abilities by using electroencephalogram measurements while the children read high-frequency/high-imageability, high-frequency/low-imageability, and nonsense words. The ANOVA showed significant interaction effects: 1stLR had greater right-hemispheric activation than 3rdLR, who had greater left-hemispheric activation; for nonsense words, 1stLR had lower left-hemisphere activation than that of 2ndLR and 3rdLR. The EEG measure of hemispheric asymmetry indicated a developmental effect on lateralized activity in the temporal lobes of beginning readers during word recognition.