Background Narrative texts can support science comprehension. Yet, it remains unclear under which conditions they are beneficial. Aims We compared the comprehension benefits of science narrative versus expository texts across comprehension levels and retention intervals and identified reader and activity characteristics predicting science comprehension. Sample A sample of 125 university students with low prior knowledge of the content of the texts volunteered to participate. Methods Participants read both a narrative and an expository text and then completed comprehension questions targeting different levels of comprehension. The contents were related to math or chemistry. Participants completed the comprehension items on that session, and one week after reading the texts. We also assessed participants' pre-reading perceived prior knowledge of the science topics and their post-reading perceptions of the texts’ difficulty and interest. Results Comprehension scores were higher for the narrative than for the expository text only with the chemistry topic, at all comprehension levels. Scores were higher in immediate comprehension assessments than in delayed assessments. Exploratory analyses suggest that narrative texts support comprehension in part by increasing perceived interest and lowering perceived difficulty. Conclusion The narrative advantage was specific to the less familiar content, boosting comprehension across all levels of representation, partly by reducing perceived difficulty and increasing interest — underscoring the importance of aligning text type with learners' prior knowledge and task demands.

How do people combine relevant cues to distinguish between true and fake news? Here we test the contribution of news source and news content on the verification process of fake news. We address this question in a within-subject design (N = 82 first-year bachelor psychology students), where we cross 32 true and fake news headlines with 64 sources as an ecological way to test the separate role of news veracity and news source in news assessment. We find that both the truthfulness of news content and the reliability of news sources independently influence participants' credibility judgments. We also proved participants' self-reported reliance on the source and content of the news to make their assessment. Participants demonstrated the highest accuracy when using content alone, followed by both cues, and then source alone. This was qualified by a significant three-way interaction, indicating that the advantages of each strategy varied depending on the convergence between content and source. When content and source were congruent, participants achieved the greatest accuracy by relying on both cues and reported doing so more frequently. Conversely, when content and source diverged, participants were most accurate when relying exclusively on the source. Despite this, they reported relying equally on source, content, or both, except in the case of fake news, where there was a slight preference for relying on the source over content alone. This study suggests that while integrated content and source evaluation can enhance credibility assessment, media literacy interventions should consider both combined approaches and targeted single-component training depending on educational context and constraints.

Educational tracks influence students’ cognitive and social outcomes, yet its role in shaping susceptibility to conspiracy beliefs remains underexplored. This study examines the relationship between secondary school tracks (general, technical, and vocational) and belief in conspiracy theories in French-speaking Belgium. We hypothesize that students in general education tracks exhibit lower levels of conspiracy beliefs than those in technical and vocational tracks, and that this relationship is mediated by literacy, critical thinking, perceived justice, and societal identification. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 168 adolescents from the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, measuring conspiracy beliefs, critical thinking, literacy, perceptions of justice, and societal identification. Results showed that students in general education tracks reported significantly lower conspiracy beliefs than their peers in technical and vocational tracks. However, this effect was primarily mediated by societal identification rather than cognitive variables such as literacy or critical thinking. These findings suggest that educational tracking not only shapes academic skills but also influences students’ integration into societal structures. The results highlight the importance of fostering social belonging and perceptions of fairness to mitigate susceptibility to conspiracy beliefs. This study contributes to understanding how stratified educational systems perpetuate social inequalities that shape cognitive and political attitudes. Policy implications include integrating curricula that promote inclusive civic education across all educational tracks.

Neste artigo, ilustrarei um curso de literacia estruturado de acordo com dois objetivos intercalares: (i) a compreensão e o domínio do princípio alfabético e (ii) a utilização do código ortográfico na decodificação (para a leitura) e na codificação (para a escrita) de palavras. Mais especificamente, ilustrarei os princípios subjacentes a esse curso, e como foram baseados em dados científicos que nos ajudaram a desenvolver uma versão de método fónico que chamamos de “otimizada”. Também aprensentarei um resumo em 12 pontos dos conceitos básicos e dos passos da progressão da literacia, baseados nesses objetivos e princípios.

The present longitudinal study investigated the hypothesis that early musical skills (as measured by melodic and rhythmic perception and memory) predict later literacy development via a mediating effect of phonology. We examined 130 French-speaking children, 31 of whom with a familial risk for developmental dyslexia (DD). Their abilities in the three domains were assessed longitudinally with a comprehensive battery of behavioral tests in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade. Using a structural equation modeling approach, we examined potential longitudinal effects from music to literacy via phonology. We then investigated how familial risk for DD may influence these relationships by testing whether atypical music processing is a risk factor for DD. Results showed that children with a familial risk for DD consistently underperformed children without familial risk in music, phonology, and literacy. A small effect of musical ability on literacy via phonology was observed, but may have been induced by differences in stability across domains over time. Furthermore, early musical skills did not add significant predictive power to later literacy difficulties beyond phonological skills and family risk status. These findings are consistent with the idea that certain key auditory skills are shared between music and speech processing, and between DD and congenital amusia. However, they do not support the notion that music perception and memory skills can serve as a reliable early marker of DD, nor as a valuable target for reading remediation.Research Highlights Music, phonology, and literacy skills of 130 children, 31 of whom with a familial risk for dyslexia, were examined longitudinally. Children with a familial risk for dyslexia consistently underperformed children without familial risk in musical, phonological, and literacy skills. Structural equation models showed a small effect of musical ability in kindergarten on literacy in second grade, via phonology in first grade. However, early musical skills did not add significant predictive power to later literacy difficulties beyond phonological skills and family risk status.

Literacy became essential for any human being. Beyond the social and cultural aspects of reading and writing, many studies have examined how these abilities are acquired and have shown that for a given language they may be learned in different ways and reach quite different mastery levels. Here we discuss variations in literacy levels within the same language, Portuguese, more specifically between the European and Brazilian varieties. We first discuss the notion that variations in literacy levels across languages may in principle result from linguistic and sociolinguistic parameters, socioeconomic differences, and teaching methods. We then argue that, in the present case, it is these last two factors that are responsible for the differences in reading achievement between Brazil and Portugal reported in international surveys. To this aim we present recent information on reading score differences, examine the major differences and similarities in orality and orthography, and discuss the quite different socioeconomic situations, educational policies, and methods adopted by the two countries in the last 20 years that may explain the reading performance differences between the two countries.

Developmental dyslexia and congenital amusia have common characteristics. Yet, their possible association in some individuals has been addressed only scarcely. Recently, two converging studies reported a sizable comorbidity rate between these two neurodevelopmental disorders (Couvignou et al., Cognitive Neuropsychology 2019; Couvignou & Kolinsky, Neuropsychologia 2021). However, the reason for their association remains unclear. Here, we investigate the hypothesis of shared underlying impairments between dyslexia and amusia. Fifteen dyslexic children with amusia (DYS+A), 15 dyslexic children without amusia (DYS-A), and two groups of 25 typically developing children matched on either chronological age (CA) or reading level (RL) were assessed with a behavioral battery aiming to investigate phonological and pitch processing capacities at auditory memory, perceptual awareness, and attentional levels. Overall, our results suggest that poor auditory serial-order memory increases susceptibility to comorbidity between dyslexia and amusia and may play a role in the development of the comorbid phenotype. In contrast, the impairments observed in the DYS+A children for auditory item memory, perceptual awareness, and attention might be a consequence of their reduced reading experience combined with weaker musical skills. Comparing DYS+A and DYS-A children suggests that the latter are more resourceful and/or have more effective compensatory strategies, or that their phenotype results from a different developmental trajectory. We will discuss the relevance of these findings for delving into the etiology of these two developmental disorders and address their implications for future research and practice.

The present article is a theoretical review on source evaluation. We define source evaluation, also called sourcing, as attending to, evaluating, and using available or accessible information about the sources of textual content. The main objectives of this article are (1) to propose a new model of the socio-cognitive impact of sourcing; (2) to examine what influences sourcing; (3) to investigate the link between sourcing and source memory; and (4) the relation between sourcing and critical thinking. We will also discuss implications for future research in this area.

We begin by presenting and examining relevant data in the literature on eye movements in reading, from childhood to adulthood. In particular, we discuss the differences found in eye movements during reading be-tween children in different age groups and with different reading levels and skilled adult readers in terms of word recognition and sentence processing. We then critically discuss two hypotheses that account for the differences between children and adults' eye movement during reading: one being reading age itself -the changes in eye movement patterns in reading are regulated by the level of reading proficiency and its automatization -and the other being the role of maturation of oculomotor control and, consequently, its possible changes in eye move-ment patterns during reading. Finally, we list gaps in the research field and suggest that future research will benefit from investigating eye movements during reading in ex-illiterate adults who are in the process of learning to read in order to isolate both reading and maturational factors.

Narrative texts have been advocated as tools to tackle science learning challenges, and there is even the proposal of a "narrative effect " on learning. We believe it is necessary to examine previous evidence on this effect, as well as to characterize the process of learning through science narrative texts more broadly. In this article, we offer a theoretical review drawing on three frameworks, namely on pedagogical aspects of text learning, linguistic features of texts, and cognitive aspects of text comprehension. Based on that, we analyzed two complementary questions. First, we reviewed 36 studies to ask if science narrative texts can benefit learning and memory outcomes at different educational levels (i.e., the "If " question). We found encouraging evidence for the use of science narrative texts at various educational levels, especially in delayed assessments and longer-lasting interventions. Second, we gathered and linked ideas, hints, and evidence on how the process of learning with science narrative texts takes place, namely on conditions and underlying processes (i.e., the "How " question). There are many features from conditions (texts, learners, activities, wider context) and underlying processes (integration with prior knowledge, affective dispositions, and cognitive abilities) that can help to account for variability in outcomes; yet, ideas and evidence are not always tightly connected. We suggest that education and research should focus on specific narrative effects, that specify with what (texts), with whom (learners), when and where (activities and wider context) these effects occur, as well as "why " (underlying processes). We believe the proposed framing can help both make sense of previous evidence and inform future educational practices and research and provide some recommendations in this regard.

The aim of the present study was to examine the hypothesis that, compared to typically reading children matched on regular word reading, adults with basic literacy (either adult literacy students or adult basic education students) struggle on phonologically demanding tasks but are relatively performant on orthographic demanding tasks, and hence present a performance pattern similar to that of dyslexic children. Using various reading and phoneme awareness tests, we therefore compared the adults to both typically reading children from Grades 3 and 4 and dyslexic children, these two groups being matched to the adults on regular word reading. The dyslexic children were also compared to either chronological age- or reading level-matched children. The hypothesis was only partly supported by the data, as results depended on the subgroup of adults considered. While the literacy students presented poorer phoneme awareness and a somewhat stronger length effect in reading than the dyslexic children, the basic education students outperformed the latter on irregular word reading. The adults, and in particular the literacy students, also relied frequently on orthography in a complex phoneme awareness task. Taken together, these results suggest that adults with basic literacy rely more on visual memory than both dyslexic and typically reading children. This opens the question of whether the peculiar profile of these adults is intrinsic to adult literacy acquisition or is related to the way they are taught and trained to read and write. The results also highlight the need for better characterization of subgroups of adults with basic literacy.

ABSTRACT In this article, perspectives originated from the Linguistic, Psychology and Educational fields are placed together in order to: 1. Understand the specificities of how reading skills are acquired and how skilled readers' brain processes written material; 2. Contribute to the goal achievement of public policies focused on improving literacy (in particular, the Brazilian national agreement for learning to read at the right age - PNAIC) by taking advantage of the progress made in the science of reading. Two lines of reasoning will be followed aiming at trying to find out why the progress in neuroscience research has not turn yet into a better reading instruction, with special attention to the Brazilian context. The first reasoning line concerns to the conscious and unconscious processes of reading and how the pedagogy of reading can be betrayed by the visible tip of the iceberg; the second reasoning line relates to the shared characteristics of the oral and written language and to the specificities of the latter. If these specificities are better understood, the intervention of teachers and other professionals can be improved, thereby contributing to the indispensable dialogue between public policies, science and education.

Dans cet article, nous aborderons la question des théories du complot et les facteurs menant certaines personnes à adhérer à ces récits. Nous examinerons d’abord les explications individuelles, en termes de déficit cognitif et/ou de psychopathologie. Celles-ci nous amèneront à interroger le lien entre niveau d’éducation et complotisme : le complotisme trouve-t-il sa source dans un déficit de pensée critique, que l’instruction scolaire pourrait combler ? Dans un troisième temps, nous soulignerons les limites d’une approche individuelle du complotisme en mettant en exergue le rôle de dynamiques collectives, qui ne sont pas réductibles à des déficits cognitifs et/ou à des troubles psychopathologiques.

Definimos o conceito de literacia e ilustramos o impacto desta nas capacidades cognitivas, em particular de memória e de compreensão da linguagem. A seguir, consideramos a hipótese de que a literacia contribui para elevar a qualidade e a profundidade do pensamento crítico. Este, por sua vez, sustenta a capacidade de autodefesa intelectual – em termos de ciência cognitiva, de “vigilância epistémica” – relativamente às fake news e a outras manobras de desvirtuação dos fatos ou de propaganda mentirosa. Finalmente, são discutidos os resultados de pré-testes de um projeto experimental em que diversos grupos de adultos subletrados receberão treinamento das capacidades de literacia e de pensamento crítico.

Developmental dyslexia and congenital amusia are two specific neurodevelopmental disorders that affect reading and music perception, respectively. Similarities at perceptual, cognitive, and anatomical levels raise the possibility that a common factor is at play in their emergence, albeit in different domains. However, little consideration has been given to what extent they can co-occur. A first adult study suggested a 30% amusia rate in dyslexia and a 25% dyslexia rate in amusia (Couvignou et al., Cognitive Neuropsychology 2019). We present newly acquired data from 38 dyslexic and 38 typically developing children. These were assessed with literacy and phonological tests, as well as with three musical tests: the Montreal Battery of Evaluation of Musical Abilities, a pitch and time change detection task, and a singing task. Overall, about 34% of the dyslexic children were musically impaired, a proportion that is significantly higher than both the estimated 1.5?4% prevalence of congenital amusia in the general population and the rate of 5% observed within the control group. They were mostly affected in the pitch dimension, both in terms of perception and production. Correlations and prediction links were found between pitch processing skills and language measures after partialing out confounding factors. These findings are discussed with regard to cognitive and neural explanatory hypotheses of a comorbidity between dyslexia and amusia.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of literacy on phoneme perception. It built on previous research by using more controlled stimuli than in former studies and by independently examining the impacts of literacy and age on phoneme perception. Participants were adult and children beginning readers, and skilled adult readers. They were presented with identification and discrimination tasks, using a voicing continuum. In addition to examining their categorical perception of speech sounds and the precision of phonemic categories, participants' literacy level was carefully evaluated. The results confirmed that neither age nor literacy modulated categorical perception. However, level of literacy did have a significant impact on the precision of phonemic categories, which was independent from the influence of age.

Learning to read leads to functional and structural changes in cortical brain areas related to vision and language. Previous evidence suggests that the Visual Word Form Area (VWFA), a region devoted to the recognition of letter strings in literate persons, acts as an interface between both systems. While different studies have performed univariate analyses to study the effects of literacy on brain function, little is known about its impact on whole functional networks, especially when literacy is acquired during adulthood. We investigated functional connectivity in three groups of adults with different literacy status: illiterates, ex-illiterates (i.e., who learned to read during adulthood), and literates (i.e., who learned to read in childhood). We used a data-driven, multivariate whole brain approach (Independent Component Analysis [ICA]) combined with a region of interest (ROI) analysis in order to explore the functional connectivity of the VWFA with four ICA networks related to vision and language functions. ICA allowed for the identification of four networks of interest: left fronto-parietal, auditory, medial visual and lateral visual functional networks, plus a control right fronto-parietal network. We explored the effects literacy on the connectivity between the VWFA and these networks, trying furthermore to disentangle the roles of reading proficiency and age of acquisition (i.e., literacy status) in these changes. Results showed that functional connectivity between the VWFA and the left fronto-parietal and lateral visual networks increased and decreased, respectively, with literacy. Moreover, the functional coupling of the VWFA and the auditory network decreased with literacy. This study provides novel insights in the mechanisms of reading acquisition and brain plasticity, putting to light the emergence of the VWFA as a bridge between language and vision. Further studies are required to characterize the interplay of proficiency and age of reading acquisition, and its relevance to models of brain plasticity across lifespan.