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Abstract:
In the working memory model of Baddeley (1986), spoken
language is represented automatically in the phonological
short-term store (STS). Written language, however, first must be
processed by an articulatory rehearsal mechanism in order to be
transformed from an orthographic representation into a phonological
one. In neurologically normal individuals, this is supported by a
differential effect of articulatory suppression on the phonological
similarity effect (which can be thought of as an indicator of
phonological representation): Articulatory suppression eliminates
the phonological similarity effect for written but not spoken
language. Given that damage to the cerebellum reduces the
word-length effect (Justus & Ivry, CNS 2000), we have
hypothesized that the cerebellum is an integral part of the
articulatory rehearsal mechanism. As such, damage to or abnormal
development of the cerebellum may result in a decreased ability to
represent written language in a phonological manner. In the current
study, we will present linguistic stimuli (1) in either
phonologically similar or dissimilar contexts and (2) in either the
auditory or visual modality to patients with damage to the
cerebellar hemispheres. It is predicted that relative to controls,
damage to the cerebellum will be associated with a decreased
phonological similarity effect only when items are presented
visually. Such a result may implicate the cerebellum in the
well-documented relationship between phonological ability and
reading proficiency.
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