Effects of Frequency and Regularity on New Learning in Preference Readers

Abstract

Learning to read English requires both knowledge of grapheme-phoneme (GP) rules and rapid recognition for familiar words, which can be mediated by whole-word (WW) mappings. Previous research has suggested that readers differ in their preferences for GP vs. WW strategies of word reading. In an artificial script training study with literate adults, we tested whether preference learners are affected by aspects of the learning demands relevant to English - GP regularity and word frequency. WW preference learners suffered higher costs when reading irregular words, but showed no frequency effects. Further, WW preference learners were more likely to apply GP rules to regular words. These findings suggest that preference may be a measure of ability to use GP strategy appropriately.