Spelling Sensitivity in Russian Speakers Develops by Early Adolescence
Scientists at the RAS Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology and HSE University have uncovered how the foundations of literacy develop in the brain. To achieve this, they compared error recognition processes across three age groups: children aged 8 to 10, early adolescents aged 11 to 14, and adults. The experiment revealed that a child's sensitivity to spelling errors first emerges in primary school and continues to develop well into the teenage years, at least until age 14. Before that age, children are less adept at recognising misspelled words compared to older teenagers and adults. The study findings have been published in Scientific Reports.
By the time they finish primary school, children's reading of high-frequency words becomes automated. Behavioural studies measuring parameters like reaction time and error rates show that children at this age can reliably distinguish between words and letter strings resembling words.
The event-related potential (ERP) method is a promising approach to examining the reading process in neurophysiological research. Event-related potentials are the brain's electrophysiological responses to perceptual events (such as specific sensations), cognitive events (like decision-making), or motor events (such as pressing a button).
The ERP method allows for assessing the brain's response to verbal stimuli and identifying time intervals—components within the ERP—associated with their processing. In primary school-age children, the ERPs in response to words and strings of non-letter symbols differ at 200 ms after presentation, but distinctions between words and meaningless strings of actual letters are detected much later, only after 400 ms. This indicates that such stimuli are more challenging for young children to process.
However, sensitivity to spelling patterns is not limited to the ability to distinguish words from meaningless letter sequences but also involves more complex skills related to recognizing spelling errors. The issue is that the neural bases underlying the development of orthographic sensitivity remain poorly understood.
Scientists at the RAS Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology and the Centre for Cognition and Decision Making of the HSE Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience used electroencephalography (EEG) to investigate event-related potentials associated with spelling error recognition. The study involved children aged 8 to 10, early adolescents aged 11 to 14, and adults aged 18 to 39, all of them native speakers of Russian. None of the subjects experienced spelling difficulties.
The subjects were presented with words on a screen, some of which were spelled correctly while others were misspelled. The task was to determine whether the word on the screen was spelled correctly.
The experiment showed that all the groups successfully identified both correctly spelled and misspelled words. The average error rate, even among children aged 8 to 10, did not exceed 14%, although children had more incorrect answers and longer reaction times compared to early adolescents and adults.
Early adolescents and adults showed similar, though not identical, behavioural results. The response time to both types of stimuli and the percentage of erroneous responses to correctly spelled words did not differ between these groups. However, early adolescents were worse than adults at recognising misspelled words.
In adult participants, differences in ERPs between correctly and incorrectly spelled words were observed in two distinct time windows. This indicates that the recognition of spelling correctness by adults involves two ERP components: an early component around 400 ms and a later one of up to 600 ms, probably related to re-checking the spelling for errors.
In children aged 8 to 10, there were no differences in ERPs between correctly spelled and misspelled words. According to the researchers, this suggests that the ability to quickly recognise correct spelling is just beginning to develop at this age. Interestingly, in early adolescents, spelling recognition was reflected only at the later stage corresponding to the 600 ms component, ie they did not exhibit early differences related to automated spelling recognition.
The experiment revealed that a child's orthographic sensitivity first emerges in primary school and continues to develop well into the teenage years, at least until age 14. These findings contribute to our understanding of the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying the mastery of Russian spelling and how these mechanisms evolve with age.
Leading Research Fellow, Centre for Cognition and Decision Making, Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience
In our study, adults and adolescents did not differ in their reaction times to any of the stimuli: both groups recognized correctly and incorrectly spelled words at similar speeds. This suggests that they likely employed similar reading and spelling recognition strategies. Nevertheless, the percentage of misidentified misspelled words was higher in early adolescents compared to adults, suggesting that spelling sensitivity is still developing at this age.
See also:
Smoking Habit Affects Response to False Feedback
A team of scientists at HSE University, in collaboration with the Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, studied how people respond to deception when under stress and cognitive load. The study revealed that smoking habits interfere with performance on cognitive tasks involving memory and attention and impairs a person’s ability to detect deception. The study findings have been published in Frontiers in Neuroscience.
'Neurotechnologies Are Already Helping Individuals with Language Disorders'
On November 4-6, as part of Inventing the Future International Symposium hosted by the National Centre RUSSIA, the HSE Centre for Language and Brain facilitated a discussion titled 'Evolution of the Brain: How Does the World Change Us?' Researchers from the country's leading universities, along with health professionals and neuroscience popularisers, discussed specific aspects of human brain function.
Russian Physicists Determine Indices Enabling Prediction of Laser Behaviour
Russian scientists, including researchers at HSE University, examined the features of fibre laser generation and identified universal critical indices for calculating their characteristics and operating regimes. The study findings will help predict and optimise laser parameters for high-speed communication systems, spectroscopy, and other areas of optical technology. The paper has been published in Optics & Laser Technology.
Children with Autism Process Auditory Information Differently
A team of scientists, including researchers from the HSE Centre for Language and Brain, examined specific aspects of auditory perception in children with autism. The scientists observed atypical alpha rhythm activity both during sound perception and at rest. This suggests that these children experience abnormalities in the early stages of sound processing in the brain's auditory cortex. Over time, these abnormalities can result in language difficulties. The study findings have been published in Brain Structure and Function.
Smartphones Not Used for Digital Learning among Russian School Students
Despite the widespread use of smartphones, teachers have not fully integrated them into the teaching and learning process, including for developing students' digital skills. Irina Dvoretskaya, Research Fellow at the HSE Institute of Education, has examined the patterns of mobile device use for learning among students in grades 9 to 11.
‘Scientists Work to Make This World a Better Place’
Federico Gallo is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Cognition and Decision Making of the HSE Institute for Cognitive Research. In 2023, he won the Award for Special Achievements in Career and Public Life Among Foreign Alumni of HSE University. In this interview, Federico discusses how he entered science and why he chose to stay, and shares a secret to effective protection against cognitive decline in old age.
Working while Studying Can Increase Salary and Chances of Success
Research shows that working while studying increases the likelihood of employment after graduation by 19% and boosts salary by 14%. One in two students has worked for at least a month while studying full time. The greatest benefits come from being employed during the final years of study, when students have the opportunity to begin working in their chosen field. These findings come from a team of authors at the HSE Faculty of Economic Sciences.
Beauty in Details: HSE University and AIRI Scientists Develop a Method for High-Quality Image Editing
Researchers from theHSE AI Research Centre, AIRI, and the University of Bremen have developed a new image editing method based on deep learning—StyleFeatureEditor. This tool allows for precise reproduction of even the smallest details in an image while preserving them during the editing process. With its help, users can easily change hair colour or facial expressions without sacrificing image quality. The results of this three-party collaboration were published at the highly-cited computer vision conference CVPR 2024.
HSE Scientists Have Examined Potential Impact of Nuclear Power on Sustainable Development
Researchers at HSE University have developed a set of mathematical models to predict the impact of nuclear power on the Sustainable Development Index. If the share of nuclear power in the global energy mix increases to between 20% and 25%, the global Sustainable Development Index (SDI) is projected to grow by one-third by 2050. In scenarios where the share of nuclear power grows more slowly, the increase in the SDI is found to be lower. The study has been published in Nuclear Energy and Technology.
HSE Scientists Have Developed a New Model of Electric Double Layer
This new model accounts for a wide range of ion-electrode interactions and predicts a device's ability to store electric charge. The model's theoretical predictions align with the experimental results. Data on the behaviour of the electric double layer (EDL) can aid in the development of more efficient supercapacitors for portable electronics and electric vehicles. The study has been published in ChemPhysChem.