The processing of morphologically complex words by children at risk for dyslexia

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15448/1984-4301.2025.1.48036

Keywords:

Morphological processing, Lexical access, Derived words

Abstract

This study investigated the processing of morphologically complex words in children at risk for dyslexia, focusing on the effect of morphological priming. The research was conducted with 16 participants, aged between 9 and 11 years, divided into two groups: children with typical development and children at risk for dyslexia. The experimental technique of Lexical Decision with morphological priming was used to determine whether the use of derivational morphemes would facilitate lexical access. Variables such as reaction time and behavioral performance were analyzed. The results indicated that the group at risk for dyslexia showed significantly longer reaction times, regardless of the experimental conditions, suggesting a higher cognitive cost in lexical processing. However, no statistically significant morphological priming effect was observed in either group. These findings suggest that although derivational morphology may represent a potential pathway to support reading, its facilitating effect was not confirmed in this study. This research contributes to the understanding of the linguistic mechanisms involved in reading among children with difficulties, especially in languages with rich morphology such as Brazilian Portuguese.

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Author Biographies

Ana Paula Martins Alves Salgado, Federal Rural University of the Amazon (UFRA), Belém, Pará, Brazil

Holds a doctorate and master's degree in Linguistics from the Federal University of Ceará. Specialist in Neuroscience in Education and in the Teaching of Portuguese Language and Literature. Graduated in Letters - English from the State University of Ceará and in Pedagogy from the Federal University of Ceará. Conducts research in the areas of Language Acquisition, Development and Processing, Experimental Psycholinguistics, Applied Linguistics, and Learning Assessment. Member of the following research groups: Laboratory of Cognitive Sciences and Psycholinguistics (UFC); Laboratory for Research in Language Acquisition and Processing - LABILIN (UFRA); Study Group in Linguistics and Teacher Training - GELFOR (UFRA). Active member of the Psycholinguistics and Neurolinguistics Commission of the Brazilian Association of Linguistics – ABRALIN. Currently, she is a professor in the Letters/Portuguese Language course (UFRA – Belém campus).

Karen Rie Ichijo, Federal Rural University of the Amazon (UFRA), Belém, Pará, Brazil

Undergraduate student in Portuguese Language and Literature at the Federal Rural University of the Amazon. Conducts research in the areas of Language Acquisition, Processing and Development, and Experimental Psycholinguistics. Member of the research group Laboratory for Research in Language Acquisition and Processing - LABILIN (UFRA). Currently, she is a teacher for the Municipality of Acará (PA).

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Published

2025-12-19

How to Cite

Martins Alves Salgado, A. P., & Rie Ichijo, K. (2025). The processing of morphologically complex words by children at risk for dyslexia. Letrônica, 18(1), e48036. https://doi.org/10.15448/1984-4301.2025.1.48036

Issue

Section

THE DEVELOPMENT OF (A)TYPICAL READING AND WRITING IN MONOLINGUISTIC AND BILINGUAL PEOPLE IN THE LIGHT OF PSYCHOLINGUISTICS