The Learning and Retention of New Words: Spoken Versus Written Forms

• In Event: Becoming Literate: Cognitive and Social Processes of Learning to Read

Abstract

While new words are learned throughout the lifespan, how typical development/aging affects this ability is not well understood. Acquiring literacy profoundly alters the brain and cognition in ways not limited to reading and writing skills. Here, we compare the ability of children and young adults to learn new words, distinguishing between the words’ spoken and written forms, to better understand these learning processes and how they change over the lifespan. We found that children learned spoken forms slower than adults but were comparable when learning written forms. We also found an interaction between the modality (spoken versus written) and the patterns of retention across two different time scales (within a single session of learning and across sessions).

Authors

• Robert W. Wiley, University of North Carolina - Greensboro

• Sartaj Singh, University of North Carolina - Greensboro

• Brenda Rapp, Johns Hopkins University