Prevalence of Spelling Errors Affects Reading Behavior Across Languages

Victor Kuperman; Amalia Bar-On; Raymond Bertram; Rober Boshra; Avital Deutsch; Aki Juhani Kyröläinen; Barbara Mathiopoulou; Gaisha Oralova; Athanassios Protopapas

doi:10.1037/xge0001038

Prevalence of Spelling Errors Affects Reading Behavior Across Languages

Victor Kuperman, Amalia Bar-On, Raymond Bertram, Rober Boshra, Avital Deutsch, Aki Juhani Kyröläinen, Barbara Mathiopoulou, Gaisha Oralova, Athanassios Protopapas

Tel Aviv University, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

This cross-linguistic study investigated the impact of spelling errors on reading behavior in five languages (Chinese, English, Finnish, Greek, and Hebrew). Learning theories predict that correct and incorrectspelling alternatives (e.g., “tomorrow” and “tommorrow”) provide competing cues to the sound andmeaning of a word: The closer the alternatives are to each other in their frequency of occurrence, themore uncertain the reader is regarding the spelling of that word. An information-theoretic measure ofentropy was used as an index of uncertainty. Based on theories of learning, we predicted that higher entropywould lead to slower recognition of words even when they are spelled correctly. This predictionwas confirmed in eye-tracking sentence-reading experiments in five languages widely variable in theirwriting systems’ phonology and morphology.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1974-1993
Number of pages	20
Journal	Journal of Experimental Psychology: General
Volume	150
Issue number	10
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0001038
State	Published - 2021

Keywords

Cross-linguistic studies
Eye movements
Learning
Reading
Spelling

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
General Psychology
Developmental Neuroscience

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1037/xge0001038

Cite this

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title = "Prevalence of Spelling Errors Affects Reading Behavior Across Languages",

abstract = "This cross-linguistic study investigated the impact of spelling errors on reading behavior in five languages (Chinese, English, Finnish, Greek, and Hebrew). Learning theories predict that correct and incorrectspelling alternatives (e.g., “tomorrow” and “tommorrow”) provide competing cues to the sound andmeaning of a word: The closer the alternatives are to each other in their frequency of occurrence, themore uncertain the reader is regarding the spelling of that word. An information-theoretic measure ofentropy was used as an index of uncertainty. Based on theories of learning, we predicted that higher entropywould lead to slower recognition of words even when they are spelled correctly. This predictionwas confirmed in eye-tracking sentence-reading experiments in five languages widely variable in theirwriting systems{\textquoteright} phonology and morphology.",

keywords = "Cross-linguistic studies, Eye movements, Learning, Reading, Spelling",

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doi = "10.1037/xge0001038",

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volume = "150",

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T1 - Prevalence of Spelling Errors Affects Reading Behavior Across Languages

AU - Kuperman, Victor

AU - Bar-On, Amalia

AU - Bertram, Raymond

AU - Boshra, Rober

AU - Deutsch, Avital

AU - Kyröläinen, Aki Juhani

AU - Mathiopoulou, Barbara

AU - Oralova, Gaisha

AU - Protopapas, Athanassios

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - This cross-linguistic study investigated the impact of spelling errors on reading behavior in five languages (Chinese, English, Finnish, Greek, and Hebrew). Learning theories predict that correct and incorrectspelling alternatives (e.g., “tomorrow” and “tommorrow”) provide competing cues to the sound andmeaning of a word: The closer the alternatives are to each other in their frequency of occurrence, themore uncertain the reader is regarding the spelling of that word. An information-theoretic measure ofentropy was used as an index of uncertainty. Based on theories of learning, we predicted that higher entropywould lead to slower recognition of words even when they are spelled correctly. This predictionwas confirmed in eye-tracking sentence-reading experiments in five languages widely variable in theirwriting systems’ phonology and morphology.

AB - This cross-linguistic study investigated the impact of spelling errors on reading behavior in five languages (Chinese, English, Finnish, Greek, and Hebrew). Learning theories predict that correct and incorrectspelling alternatives (e.g., “tomorrow” and “tommorrow”) provide competing cues to the sound andmeaning of a word: The closer the alternatives are to each other in their frequency of occurrence, themore uncertain the reader is regarding the spelling of that word. An information-theoretic measure ofentropy was used as an index of uncertainty. Based on theories of learning, we predicted that higher entropywould lead to slower recognition of words even when they are spelled correctly. This predictionwas confirmed in eye-tracking sentence-reading experiments in five languages widely variable in theirwriting systems’ phonology and morphology.

KW - Cross-linguistic studies

KW - Eye movements

KW - Learning

KW - Reading

KW - Spelling

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DO - 10.1037/xge0001038

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SP - 1974

EP - 1993

JO - Journal of Experimental Psychology: General

JF - Journal of Experimental Psychology: General

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ER -

Prevalence of Spelling Errors Affects Reading Behavior Across Languages

Abstract

Keywords

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

UN SDGs

Access to Document

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