Abstract
Brain imaging studies reliably localize a region of visual cortex
that is especially responsive to visual words. This brain specialization
is essential to rapid reading ability because it enhances perception
of words by becoming specifically tuned to recurring properties of
a writing system. The origin of this specialization poses a challenge
for evolutionary accounts involving innate mechanisms for functional
brain organization. We propose an alternative account, based on studies
of other forms of visual expertise (i.e. bird and car experts) that
lead to functional reorganization. We argue that the interplay between
the unique demands of word reading and the structural constraints
of the visual system lead to the emergence of the Visual Word Form
Area.
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