Children's Word Recognition in Prose Context

Abstract

Research is reviewed in which children’s processing of individual words is examined in prose context. This research includes studies of oral reading errors, word recognition experiments where context is artificially introduced, studies of the effects of repeated text manipulations, and observations of on-line effects of individual text manipulations. Taken together, these sources of data suggest that the reader’s dependence on contextual constraint for individual word identification decreases with age, even though sensitivity to the constraints of context increases. This sensitivity may allow faster interpretation of individual words with respect to the emerging conceptual text structure. Some research is reviewed, however, which suggests that word identification may continue to be influenced by contextual constraint for older children and adults under certain circumstances.