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Some contingencies of spelling

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Abstract

This paper presents some speculation about the contingencies that might select standard spellings. The speculation is based on a new development in the teaching of spelling—the process writing approach, which lets standard spellings emerge collateral to a high frequency of reading and writing. The paper discusses this approach, contrasts it with behavior-analytic research on spelling, and suggests some new directions for this latter research based on a behavioral interpretation of the process writing approach to spelling.

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Lee, V.L., Sanderson, G.M. Some contingencies of spelling. Analysis Verbal Behav 5, 1–13 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03392815

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