Revisiting the Relation Between Statistical Learning and Literacy: Reliable Measures of Sensitivity to Bigram Frequency Predict Spelling but not Reading Skill

Our language environment is rich in statistical structure. It is therefore natural to hypothesize that statistical learning (SL) —the ability to detect regularities in the environmental input— contributes to the efficient processing of written text and supports literacy skills. Some prior studies reported correlations between SL as a general ability and reading, while others found null effects. We propose that this link may be better revealed by measuring individuals’ learning of orthographic statistical patterns, a type of regularity more directly relevant to literacy. This study examined how sensitivity to bigram frequency in participants’ first language (L1, French) and the ability to learn novel bigrams through exposure relate to literacy outcomes. The measures showed moderate to good reliability (L1 sensitivity: r = .60; novel orthographic learning: r = .84) and were significantly associated with spelling, but not reading. Notably, sensitivity to bigram frequency was not significantly associated with orthographic learning performance and did not mediate the link between orthographic learning and spelling. These findings suggest that different aspects of sensitivity to existing and newly acquired orthographic patterns independently support spelling abilities in French, without extending to reading performance.