Abstract
The study investigated differences in the word processing skills of prelingually deaf and hearing participants reading in
five orthographies (Hebrew, Arabic, English, German and Turkish). We tested 256 readers (132 deaf and 124 hearing) from the
mid level of education (sixth and seventh grades) using two computerized paradigms that assessed the perceptual and conceptual
processing of word pairs. Based on the Orthographic Depth Hypothesis (ODH), we expected those reading in shallow orthographies
to process the written words faster and more accurately than those reading in deep orthographies. Moreover, we anticipated
a deficit in the word processing skills of deaf readers as compared to their hearing peers, regardless of orthography. Findings
suggested that, in orthographies with demanding visuo-perceptual properties, prelingually deaf readers are at risk of developing
processing deficits even at the word (lexical) level of text processing. However, such deficits do not seem to be directly
related to hearing status or the shallowness of the orthography, but rather seem to reflect the joint contribution of augmented
visuo-perceptual processing demands in visually complex orthographies and drastically impoverished reading experience that
hampers the optimization of perceptual processes required to efficiently deal with such complexity.
five orthographies (Hebrew, Arabic, English, German and Turkish). We tested 256 readers (132 deaf and 124 hearing) from the
mid level of education (sixth and seventh grades) using two computerized paradigms that assessed the perceptual and conceptual
processing of word pairs. Based on the Orthographic Depth Hypothesis (ODH), we expected those reading in shallow orthographies
to process the written words faster and more accurately than those reading in deep orthographies. Moreover, we anticipated
a deficit in the word processing skills of deaf readers as compared to their hearing peers, regardless of orthography. Findings
suggested that, in orthographies with demanding visuo-perceptual properties, prelingually deaf readers are at risk of developing
processing deficits even at the word (lexical) level of text processing. However, such deficits do not seem to be directly
related to hearing status or the shallowness of the orthography, but rather seem to reflect the joint contribution of augmented
visuo-perceptual processing demands in visually complex orthographies and drastically impoverished reading experience that
hampers the optimization of perceptual processes required to efficiently deal with such complexity.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Category Original Article
- Pages 1-19
- DOI 10.1007/s10882-011-9255-z
- Authors
- Tevhide Kargin, Department of Special Education, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey
- Birkan Guldenoglu, Department of Special Education, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey
- Paul Miller, Department of Special Education, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- Peter Hauser, National Technical Institute for the Deaf, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA
- Christian Rathman, Institut für Deutsche Gebärdensprache, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- Okan Kubus, Institut für Deutsche Gebärdensprache, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- Erin Spurgeon, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
- Journal Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities
- Online ISSN 1573-3580
- Print ISSN 1056-263X