Other factors such as saccadic eye movements and the linear relationship between letters also affect the way we recognize words.
For example, creating flash cards for words that appear at a high frequency is considered a tool for overcoming dyslexia.
This process exists in opposition to phonetics and word analysis, as a different method of recognizing and verbalizing visual language (i.e.
On the other hand, phonetics and word analysis rely on the basis of cognitively applying learned grammatical rules for the blending of letters, sounds, graphemes, and morphemes.
[3] This manner of testing suggests that comprehension of the meaning of the words being read is not required, but rather the ability to recognize them in a way that allows proper pronunciation.
As word recognition is better understood, more reliable and efficient forms of teaching may be discovered for both children and adult learners of first-language literacy.
[10] Furthermore, a better understanding of the processes involved in word recognition may enable more specific treatments for individuals with reading disabilities.
The slower pace with which people read words written entirely in upper-case, or with alternating upper- and lower-case letters, supports the bouma theory.
[3] The theory holds that a novel bouma shape created by changing the lower-case letters to upper-case hinders a person's recall ability.
James Cattell also supported this theory through his study, which gave evidence for an effect he called word superiority.
[3] The visual aspects of a word, such as horizontal and vertical lines or curves, are thought to activate word-recognizing receptors.
Using positron emission tomography (PET) scans and event-related potentials, researchers have located two separate areas in the fusiform gyrus that respond specifically to strings of letters.
Both these regions are distinct from areas that respond to other types of complex stimuli, such as faces or colored patterns, and are part of a functionally specialized ventral pathway.
Within 100 milliseconds (ms) of fixating on a word, an area of the left inferotemporal cortex processes its surface structure.
[21] This demonstrates an inverse relationship between fixation duration and small increases in inter-letter spacing,[22] most likely due to a reduction in lateral inhibition in the neural network.
[22] Both PET and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) are used to study the activation of various parts of the brain while participants perform reading-based tasks.
[23] However, magnetoencephalography (MEG) and electroencephalography (EEG) provide a more accurate temporal measurement by recording event-related potentials each millisecond.
Though identifying where the electrical responses occur can be easier with an MEG, an EEG is a more pervasive form of research in word recognition.
Furthermore, by combining the usefulness of the event-related potentials with eye movement monitoring, researchers are able to correlate fixations during readings with word recognition in the brain in real-time.
[24] However, practice and improved proficiency tend to lead to a more efficient use of combining reading ability and background knowledge for effective word recognition.
This utilizes the frequency effect by increasing the reader's familiarity with the target word, and thereby improving both future speed and accuracy in reading.
For example, a computer can now mimic a child's learning progress and induce general language rules when exposed to a list of words with only a limited number of explanations.
[26] Despite this lack of consensus regarding parameters in simulation designs, any progress in the area of word recognition is helpful to future research regarding which learning styles may be most successful in classrooms.