Human beings understand words reflected in a mirror without thinking about it, just like those written normally, at least for a few instants. Researchers from the Basque Centre on Cognition, Brain and Languages (Spain) have shown this in a study that could also help to increase our understanding of the phenomenon of dyslexia.
Most people can read texts reflected in a mirror slowly and with some effort, but a team of scientists from the Basque Centre on Cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL) has shown for the first time that we can mentally turn these images around and understand them automatically and unconsciously, at least for a few instants.
"At a very early processing stage, between 150 and 250 milliseconds, the visual system completely rotates the words reflected in the mirror and recognises them," says Jon Andoni Duñabeitia, lead author of the study, "although the brain then immediately detects that this is not the correct order and 'remembers' that it should not process them in this way."
In order to carry out this study, which has been published in the journal NeuroImage, the researchers used electrodes to monitor the brain activity of 27 participants while carrying out two experiments in front of a computer screen.
In the first, the participants were shown words with some of the letters and other information rotated for 50 milliseconds (an imperceptible flash, which is processed by the brain); while in the second case the entire word in the mirror was rotated (for example HTUOM INSTEAD OF MOUTH).
The results of the encephalogram showed in both cases that, at between 150 and 250 milliseconds, the brain's response upon seeing the words as reflected in the mirror was the same as when they are read normally.
Better understanding of dyslexia
"These results open a new avenue for studying the effects of involuntary rotation of letters and words in individuals with reading difficulties (dyslexia) and writing problems (dysgrafia)," Duñabeitia explains.
The researcher gives reassurance to parents who worry when their children reverse their letters when they start to write: "This is the direct result of the mirror rotation property of the visual system." In fact, it is common for children to start to write this way until they learn the "established" forms at school.
"Now we know that rotating letters is not a problem that is exclusive to some dyslexics, since everybody often does this in a natural and unconscious way, but what we need to understand is why people who can read normally can inhibit this, while others with difficulties in reading and writing cannot, confusing 'b' for 'd', for example," explains Duñabeitia.
The scientific community has yet to discover how reading, a skill that is learnt relatively late in human development, can inhibit mental rotation in a mirror, a visual capacity that is common to many animals.
"A tiger is a tiger on the right side and the left side, but a word read in the mirror loses its meaning -- although now we know that it is not as incomprehensible for our visual system as we thought, because it is capable of processing it as if it were correct," the researcher concludes.
FAQs
In summary, the brain of a person with dyslexia has a different distribution of metabolic activation than the brain of a person without reading problems when accomplishing the same language task. There is a failure of the left hemisphere rear brain systems to function properly during reading.
Can dyslexic people read on mirrors? ›
Dyslexic children were the only group whose shape-based judgments were immune to mirror-image differences because they failed to automatize mirror discrimination during visual object processing. This deficit is not a consequence of reading level, is found across visual categories, and is specific to mirror images.
How do dyslexics see words? ›
The 3-Dimensional Point of View
Unless taught differently, people with dyslexia tend to take in a whole word as one big shape (from all angles), rather than processing its pieces starting from the left. This can be a problem also when students try to write a letter or number.
What are the three main symptoms of dyslexia? ›
General signs to look for are:
- Speed of processing: slow spoken and/or written language.
- Poor concentration.
- Difficulty following instructions.
- Forgetting words.
2. Sometimes, people with dyslexia see pictures rather than words. Those with dyslexia often find reading hard because they may see pictures of what the word is, not the word in letters. Being able to think in pictures, though, may be helpful at school, in many jobs and in other areas of life!
How does a dyslexic brain read? ›
In a dyslexic brain, there is more activity in the frontal lobe and less in the parietal and occipital areas. The parietal lobe helps in word recognition and decoding. The occipital lobe helps with the ability to access whole words and read skillfully, fluently, and automatically.
What is mirror dyslexia? ›
Reversing letters means your child writes certain letters (or numbers) backwards or upside down. This is sometimes referred to as mirror writing. It's different from transposing letters, which means switching the order of letters.
What are uncommon signs of dyslexia? ›
Surprising Signs of Dyslexia
- Speech Delay. Children with dyslexia may be delayed in oral language well before they begin struggling with reading and writing. ...
- Exceptional Creativity. Are dyslexic people just innately creative? ...
- Confusing Spoken Words.
Most people think that dyslexia causes people to reverse letters and numbers and see words backwards. But reversals happen as a normal part of development, and are seen in many kids until first or second grade. The main problem in dyslexia is trouble recognizing phonemes (pronounced: FO-neems).
What are the gifts of dyslexia? ›
Remember, children with dyslexia may be incredibly artistic, gifted in music or drama, or have an uncanny ability to take things apart and put them back together. They might be brilliant with computers, which use logic-based programs and systems. Or they might be amazing athletes.
There is a common misconception that dyslexia only affects the ability to read and write. In reality, dyslexia can affect memory, organisation, time-keeping, concentration, multi-tasking and communication.
What are the red flags of dyslexia? ›
Red flags include:
Difficulty with word finding (e.g., relying on “stuff,” “things” or other generic words) Difficulty with organization and studying. Trouble with story telling. Avoidance or dislike of reading.
What are the 4 stages of dyslexia? ›
The 4 types of dyslexia include phonological dyslexia, surface dyslexia, rapid naming deficit, and double deficit dyslexia. Dyslexia is a learning disorder where the person often has difficulty reading and interpreting what they read. It is neither infectious nor brought on by vaccinations.
What are the 4 D's of dyslexia? ›
Understanding the Four D's: Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, and Dyspraxia: A resource and self-help guide to overcome the 4 D's. Sold by Amazon Media EU S. à r.l.. You've subscribed to !
What has brain imaging research revealed about reading? ›
of a working brain. The images showed that children who became skilled readers by the end of first grade had, as early as kindergarten, effective brain-activation patterns for reading. Children who had a bumpier start with reading skills showed different patterns.
What research has confirmed about dyslexia? ›
The research on dyslexia has confirmed that dyslexia is not curable, individuals with dyslexia do not reverse letters due to visual perceptual problems, the exact causes of dyslexia are still not fully understood, and effective instruction can help normalize brain function in individuals with dyslexia.
How have researchers determined that the brain of a dyslexic reader functions differently than the brain of a non-dyslexic reader? ›
Differences with Phonetic Processing
However, the dyslexics who were improved readers also had greater activation of right temporal areas and both right and left frontal areas. Ordinary readers use the left temporal area for sounding out words. Poor readers do not use the left temporal area to find the sounds of words.
What brain abnormalities are associated with dyslexia? ›
Compared to typical readers, groups of dyslexic readers show abnormalities in several brain regions and pathways associated with language (for instance, the left temporo-parietal cortex), including those responsible for "fluent" or automatic reading — the ability to read without thinking about each individual word.
