Subvocalization and reading for meaning

Two experiments demonstrated that subvocalization is of value in reading for certain types of meaning. Blocking subvocalization by requiring subjects to count or say “cola-colacola …” aloud impaired their reading comprehension but generally not their listening comprehension. The effect of blocking s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior 1980-10, Vol.19 (5), p.573-582
Main Authors: Slowiaczek, Maria L., Clifton, Charles
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Two experiments demonstrated that subvocalization is of value in reading for certain types of meaning. Blocking subvocalization by requiring subjects to count or say “cola-colacola …” aloud impaired their reading comprehension but generally not their listening comprehension. The effect of blocking subvocalization was found to be specific to tests that required integration of concepts within or across sentences, as contrasted with tests that required only memory of individual word concepts. Two hypotheses were offered: first, that subvocalization results in a more durable memory representation needed for integration of concepts; and second, that subvocalization enables a prosodic restructuring that makes information needed for sentence comprehension accessible.
ISSN:0022-5371
0749-596X
DOI:10.1016/S0022-5371(80)90628-3