Electrophysiological Activation during Reading: Investigating State Anxiety in Students with Developmental Dyslexia

Background: 1 in 10 people in the UK have an anxiety disorder. This ratio radically
increases for individuals with dyslexia as they are increasingly vulnerable to
developing socio-emotional difficulties (Anxiety UK, 2015). Anxiety as a feature of
dyslexia has been most prevalently discussed in childhood studies, resulting in a
paucity of research examining reading anxiety with higher education students; this
is detrimental to understanding the continued account of learning with dyslexia.
Objective: To advance understanding of dyslexia's emotional consequences and
how it differs across the lifespan.
Methodology: Calibration of qualitative and physiological measures is needed to
evaluate anxiety as a by-product of reading with dyslexia. Physiological arousal
will be investigated with non-invasive event-related potential
(electroencephalography) and heart rate variability in response to reading
stimulus, targeting silent and aloud reading of words and non-words. Qualitative
data will be collected through self-reported anxiety inventories. The research asks
whether students with dyslexia experience stronger physiological arousal when
reading than typically-reading students, hypothesising dyslexic students will
exhibit stronger arousal to both silent and aloud reading stimuli, with aloud
reading eliciting the strongest emotional response and peaking at points of nonword
reading.
Potential Impact: Research would contribute towards streamlining a new
methodological model for researching emotional consequences of specific
learning difficulties. The research may also be relevant for promoting positive
mental well-being and providing academic and emotional support at higher
education institutions.