Reading performance is predicted by more than phonological processing

We compared three phonological processing components (phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming and phonological memory), verbal working memory, and attention control in terms of how well they predict the various aspects of reading: word recognition, pseudoword decoding, fluency and comprehen...

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Main Authors: Kibby, Michelle Y., Lee, Sylvia E., Dyer, Sarah M.
Format: Online
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2014
Online Access:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4168686/
id pubmed-4168686
recordtype oai_dc
spelling pubmed-41686862014-10-03 Reading performance is predicted by more than phonological processing Kibby, Michelle Y. Lee, Sylvia E. Dyer, Sarah M. Psychology We compared three phonological processing components (phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming and phonological memory), verbal working memory, and attention control in terms of how well they predict the various aspects of reading: word recognition, pseudoword decoding, fluency and comprehension, in a mixed sample of 182 children ages 8–12 years. Participants displayed a wide range of reading ability and attention control. Multiple regression was used to determine how well the phonological processing components, verbal working memory, and attention control predict reading performance. All equations were highly significant. Phonological memory predicted word identification and decoding. In addition, phonological awareness and rapid automatized naming predicted every aspect of reading assessed, supporting the notion that phonological processing is a core contributor to reading ability. Nonetheless, phonological processing was not the only predictor of reading performance. Verbal working memory predicted fluency, decoding and comprehension, and attention control predicted fluency. Based upon our results, when using Baddeley’s model of working memory it appears that the phonological loop contributes to basic reading ability, whereas the central executive contributes to fluency and comprehension, along with decoding. Attention control was of interest as some children with ADHD have poor reading ability even if it is not sufficiently impaired to warrant diagnosis. Our finding that attention control predicts reading fluency is consistent with prior research which showed sustained attention plays a role in fluency. Taken together, our results suggest that reading is a highly complex skill that entails more than phonological processing to perform well. Frontiers Media S.A. 2014-09-19 /pmc/articles/PMC4168686/ /pubmed/25285081 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00960 Text en Copyright © 2014 Kibby, Lee and Dyer. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
repository_type Open Access Journal
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution US National Center for Biotechnology Information
building NCBI PubMed
collection Online Access
language English
format Online
author Kibby, Michelle Y.
Lee, Sylvia E.
Dyer, Sarah M.
spellingShingle Kibby, Michelle Y.
Lee, Sylvia E.
Dyer, Sarah M.
Reading performance is predicted by more than phonological processing
author_facet Kibby, Michelle Y.
Lee, Sylvia E.
Dyer, Sarah M.
author_sort Kibby, Michelle Y.
title Reading performance is predicted by more than phonological processing
title_short Reading performance is predicted by more than phonological processing
title_full Reading performance is predicted by more than phonological processing
title_fullStr Reading performance is predicted by more than phonological processing
title_full_unstemmed Reading performance is predicted by more than phonological processing
title_sort reading performance is predicted by more than phonological processing
description We compared three phonological processing components (phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming and phonological memory), verbal working memory, and attention control in terms of how well they predict the various aspects of reading: word recognition, pseudoword decoding, fluency and comprehension, in a mixed sample of 182 children ages 8–12 years. Participants displayed a wide range of reading ability and attention control. Multiple regression was used to determine how well the phonological processing components, verbal working memory, and attention control predict reading performance. All equations were highly significant. Phonological memory predicted word identification and decoding. In addition, phonological awareness and rapid automatized naming predicted every aspect of reading assessed, supporting the notion that phonological processing is a core contributor to reading ability. Nonetheless, phonological processing was not the only predictor of reading performance. Verbal working memory predicted fluency, decoding and comprehension, and attention control predicted fluency. Based upon our results, when using Baddeley’s model of working memory it appears that the phonological loop contributes to basic reading ability, whereas the central executive contributes to fluency and comprehension, along with decoding. Attention control was of interest as some children with ADHD have poor reading ability even if it is not sufficiently impaired to warrant diagnosis. Our finding that attention control predicts reading fluency is consistent with prior research which showed sustained attention plays a role in fluency. Taken together, our results suggest that reading is a highly complex skill that entails more than phonological processing to perform well.
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
publishDate 2014
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4168686/
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