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Updated: Jul 13, 2026
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Lexical Decision Task for Studying Written Word Recognition in Adults with and without Dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment
Published on: June 25, 2019
Hemispheric processing characteristics for lexical decisions in adults with reading disorders
M M Walker1, H Spires, M P Rastatter
1Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA. walkerm@mail.ecu.ed
Perceptual and Motor Skills
|April 27, 2001
Summary
Adults with reading disorders show impaired interhemispheric lexical transfer, suggesting their left hemisphere handles core word processing. This impacts how they process concrete words across visual fields.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Psycholinguistics
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Reading disorders are associated with atypical brain organization and processing.
- Interhemispheric communication is crucial for complex cognitive functions, including reading.
- Understanding lexical processing in reading disorders can reveal underlying neural mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate interhemispheric lexical transfer in adults with reading disorders.
- To compare visual field processing of words and nonwords between reading-disordered and normally reading adults.
- To examine reaction times and error rates in lexical decision tasks.
Main Methods:
- Unilateral tachistoscopic presentation of words and nonwords.
- Lexical decision tasks assessing concrete and abstract words.
- Analysis of vocal reaction times and error rates.
- Comparison between reading-disordered and normally reading adult groups.
Main Results:
- Normally reading adults showed visual field effects and stimulus interactions.
- Reading-disordered adults exhibited a significant stimulus by visual field interaction in error rates.
- Specific differences in error rates between visual fields were found for concrete words in the reading-disordered group.
Conclusions:
- Findings suggest a deficit in interhemispheric lexical transfer in reading disorders.
- A callosal relay model is proposed, with the left hemisphere central to lexical decisions.
- This highlights hemispheric specialization differences in reading-disordered individuals.
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