The mechanism by which early exposure to reading improves later literacy is

• A. Genetic changes due to reading.
• B. Increased neural connectivity and vocabulary growth.
• C. No measurable impact on cognition.
• D. Diminished attention spans.

Answer: (B)

Early reading exposure shapes how the brain handles language and print. When children encounter words, they practice phonological processing, letter-sound mapping, and word meanings, which strengthens the neural connections in the brain’s language networks. This repeated use rewires the pathways that support decoding and semantic understanding, leading to more efficient word recognition. At the same time, exposure expands a child’s vocabulary, giving them more word knowledge to draw on when they read. A larger vocabulary and stronger decoding skills make reading faster and easier, which supports better comprehension later on. In short, reading early builds the brain’s reading networks and grows vocabulary, together driving improved literacy as kids grow.