From Graphemes to Abstract Letter Shapes: Levels of Representation in Written Spelling
Published Aug 1, 1997 · B. Rapp, A. Caramazza
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance
43
Citations
5
Influential Citations
Abstract
The letter substitution errors of 2 dysgraphic subjects who, despite relatively intact oral spelling, made well-formed letter substitution errors in written spelling, were studied. Many of these errors bear a general physical similarity to the intended target. Analyses revealed that this similarity apparently was based on the features of the component strokes of letters rather than on visuospatial characteristics. A comparison of these subjects' letter substitution errors with those of 2 other individuals with brain damage, whose damage was at a different level of processing, revealed that the latter subjects' errors are not explicable in terms of strokefeature similarity. Strong support was found for the computation of multiple representational types in the course of written spelling. This system includes a relatively abstract, effectorindependent representational level that specifies the features of the component strokes of