Electrophysiological indicants of reading disability : a longitudinal investigation

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Steven Lamont Miller (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
Robert G. Eason

Abstract: This study examined the black/white discrimination abilities for letter and non-letter patterns in individuals with and without reading disability using event-related potentials (ERPs) and behavioral measures. ERP and behavioral measures, considered to reflect the selective processing of black vs white letter and non-letter patterns, were obtained and examined separately for two samples of first grade children. Selective neural processing was measured as the increase in ERP amplitude in response to stimuli that were task relevant (black) as compared to task irrelevant (white). ERP and behavioral measures obtained from a group of seventyfour randomly selected first grade children were examined, independent of their reading level, on the black/white discrimination task. Results demonstrated faster and more accurate behavioral performance on the experimental task for the letter as compared to the non-letter patterns. The ERP indicants provided complementary information regarding this letter facilitation effect, indicating the selective neural processing of letter, as compared to non-letter patterns within the initial 100-140 msec (PI) after stimulus presentation. Later ERP measures of selective neural activity (N2 and P3) for letter as compared to non-letter stimuli showed greater differences as a function of task relevance over the left than right hemisphere, suggesting a left cerebral lateralization for these processes. In addition, measures of continuous rapid naming (RAN) were administered and provided a statistical relationship between performance on the black/white discrimination task and linguistic ability.

Additional Information

Publication
Dissertation
Language: English
Date: 1991
Subjects
Reading disability $v Longitudinal studies
Evoked potentials (Electrophysiology) $v Longitudinal studies
Reading $x Ability testing

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