Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Learning Disabilities

Learning Disabilities

Learning disabilities are cognitive disorders caused by neurological impairments that affect cognitive functions like language and reading, without indicating overall intellectual or developmental challenges. These disabilities differ from global intellectual or developmental disabilities as they are limited to distinct cognitive functions. Common learning disabilities include dysgraphia, dyslexia, and dyscalculia, each of which impacts unique aspects of learning.
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a...

Language and Cognition

Language and Cognition

Language serves as a bridge between ideas and communication, influencing how individuals perceive and interact with the world. Psychologists have long debated whether language shapes thought or vice versa. This discussion gained grip with Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf in the 1940s, who proposed that language determines thought, a concept known as linguistic determinism. They suggested that the vocabulary and structure of a language influence how its speakers think and perceive reality.

Language Development

Language Development

Children master language quickly and with relative ease, supported by both biological predisposition and reinforcement. B. F. Skinner (1957) proposed that language is learned through reinforcement, while Noam Chomsky (1965) argued that language acquisition mechanisms are biologically determined.
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Morphological constancy in spelling: a comparison of children with dyslexia and typically developing children.

Dyslexia (Chichester, England)·2008

Same author

Use of morphology in spelling by children with dyslexia and typically developing children.

Memory & cognition·2006

Same author

Spelling Development and Disability: The Importance of Linguistic Factors.

Language, speech, and hearing services in schools·2001

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Exploring Infant Sensitivity to Visual Language using Eye Tracking and the Preferential Looking Paradigm

Exploring Infant Sensitivity to Visual Language using Eye Tracking and the Preferential Looking Paradigm

Published on: May 15, 2019

Fourth graders' sensitivity to morphological context in spelling.

Derrick C Bourassa¹, Jennilee Beaupre, Krista Macgregor

¹Department of Psychology, University of Winnipeg, Canada.

Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology = Revue Canadienne De Psychologie Experimentale

|June 15, 2011

Summary

Good spellers in fourth grade better use morphological context for spelling /z/ word endings than poor spellers. Both groups showed more sensitivity to noun distinctions than verb distinctions in this spelling development study.

More Related Videos

Lexical Decision Task for Studying Written Word Recognition in Adults with and without Dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment

Lexical Decision Task for Studying Written Word Recognition in Adults with and without Dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment

Published on: June 25, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Exploring Infant Sensitivity to Visual Language using Eye Tracking and the Preferential Looking Paradigm

Exploring Infant Sensitivity to Visual Language using Eye Tracking and the Preferential Looking Paradigm

Published on: May 15, 2019

Lexical Decision Task for Studying Written Word Recognition in Adults with and without Dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment

Lexical Decision Task for Studying Written Word Recognition in Adults with and without Dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment

Published on: June 25, 2019

Area of Science:

Linguistics
Developmental Psychology
Education

Background:

English spelling involves complex sound-spelling rules, particularly for word endings.
Morphological context is crucial for understanding one-to-many sound-spelling mappings.
Specific challenges exist with /z/ endings following long vowels, requiring different spellings for inflected versus noninflected forms.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how good and poor spellers in Grade 4 utilize morphological context.
To examine sensitivity to spelling distinctions for inflected and noninflected nouns and verbs with /z/ endings.
To assess the impact of morphological awareness on spelling development.

Main Methods:

A pseudoword spelling task was administered to fourth-grade students.
Participants included groups of good and poor spellers.
The task focused on distinguishing spelling patterns for /z/ endings in various grammatical contexts.

Main Results:

Good spellers demonstrated superior performance compared to poor spellers.
Both groups exhibited greater accuracy in distinguishing inflected from noninflected noun endings.
Sensitivity to verb ending distinctions was less pronounced than for nouns.

Conclusions:

Linguistic factors, specifically morphological awareness, play a significant role in spelling development.
Instructional strategies should explicitly address morphological distinctions to improve spelling.
Understanding these nuances is vital for mastering English orthography.