Reading and control

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Reading is a remarkable human achievement. Yet, despite our dependency on written communication many people in Canada are functionally illiterate. It is widely believed that a better understanding of how experts read (in the present case how they generate the pronunciation of a word from print) will help us understand and remediate reading problems. Presently, virtually all theories (models) of how experts read presume that reading is accomplished by static cognitive system that does not adapt to changes in context. The goal of my research program is to develop a model reading that incorporates adaptation as one of the core principles of skilled reading and to demonstrate the utility of such a model. My research in this area has yielded substantial evidence that how people translate orthography into phonology is a highly dynamic process. In order to proceed with model development my research needs to progress along two diverging paths - one that examines in finer detail how skilled readers translate written words into translation and one that examines the nature of control processes involved in language. Pursing these lines of research will facilitate the development of a model of reading that (1) incorporates control as one of its central features and (2) will connect with theories of executive control in language production.