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mechanisms and their association with reading and writing processes, both in typical readers and in readers with dyslexia.
In the first study, we explored whether the outcomes of implicit structural sequence learning could be captured in eye movement responses. We tested for sensitivity effects (increased eye movements on a printed violation in an implicit artificial grammar learning task) in two experiments that manipulated the presence of a concurrent behavioural classification test. Results show different eye movement patterns when participants discriminate grammatical and non-grammatical sequences in passive viewing of sequences and that this effect is boosted when participants perform a concomitant classification task. This study shows that implicit acquired knowledge can be detected through the analysis of eye-movement patterns, enabling the study of implicit learning without explicit processing interference.
In study two, we investigated the influence of implicit learning in the literacy skills of adult typical readers. Three main results prompt us to conclude that implicit learning contributes to reading and writing proficiency: 1) in implicit orthographic knowledge tasks where the frequency of orthographic patterns is manipulated, participants tend to choose the most frequent pattern; 2) reading proficiency and the implicit orthographic knowledge decision task were related to an implicit learning task; and 3) implicit learning increases the impact of exposure to print on reading fluency. Altogether, these results suggest a role of implicit learning capacity in the extraction the written language regularities and in the improvement of literacy skills.
In study three, we tested whether dyslexic children present an implicit learning deficit that could contribute to their reading disability. An implicit artificial grammar learning task designed to optimize exposure to regularities was presented to dyslexic children and to two control groups matched by age and reading level. Results showed that dyslexics’ implicit learning abilities are at same level as both control groups, suggesting that the characteristic reading difficulties presented by dyslexics cannot be explained by implicit learning deficits.
In conclusion, the studies presented in this thesis provide evidence that: 1) implicit learning can be tested with minimal interference of explicit processes by measuring eye movement sensitivity patterns; 2) implicit learning intervenes in the extraction of written regularities, contributing to literacy proficiency; and 3) dyslexic children do not present an implicit learning deficit and thus can benefit from this preserved ability to improve their reading skills.
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Keywords
Aprendizagem implícita Aprendizagem de uma gramática artificial Aprendizagem estatística Registo de movimentos oculares Leitura Conhecimento ortográfico implícito Dislexia