Automatisme et contrôle dans la production écrite : les erreurs d'accord sujet verbe chez l'enfant et l'adulte

Summary : Automatic and controlled writing : Errors in subject-verb agreement in children and adults. This experiment aims at explaining and experimentally simulating some subject-verb agreement mistakes. These mistakes are observed in highly-educated adults. Adults and 10 years-old children were asked to recall some sentences such as « NI de N2 V » when 1) NI and N2 are either same or different in number and when 2) the sentences are followed or not by a series of words to be recalled. For made adults, mistakes are when NI and N2 are different in number, but only when the recall of words adds an extra cognitive load. For made children, mistakes are when the verb has to agree with the plural, but mainly when the recall adds an extra cognitive load. These results are interpreted within a simple theoretical conception opposing automatic processes and controlled processes. Moreover a written transcription parallely done to a retrieval-planification activity is assumed. Key-words : written production, working memory, subject-verb agreement, spelling development.