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Reading in pure alexia. The effect of strategy
H B Coslett1, E M Saffran, S Greenbaum
1Department of Neurology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA.
Brain : a Journal of Neurology
|February 1, 1993
Summary
Patients with pure alexia may use two reading methods: slow letter-by-letter and fast whole-word. Task demands can switch between these reading strategies, revealing hidden whole-word capabilities.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Linguistics
Background:
- Pure alexia is characterized by the inability to identify words despite comprehension of briefly presented words.
- Previous hypotheses suggest patients may use two distinct reading procedures: a laborious letter-by-letter method and a whole-word procedure.
- The whole-word procedure may not initially support explicit word identification.