Naming speed deficits in reading disability: multiple measures of a singular process

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Word identification speed is crucial for reading theories (La Berge & Samuels, 1974; Perfetti, 1985).
• Debate exists on whether reading disabilities involve specific word identification speed deficits or broader naming speed impairments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if poor readers exhibit a general speed deficit in naming digits compared to average readers.
• To determine the relationship between digit naming speed and reading skill in young readers.

Main Methods:

• Assessed 43 second-grade poor and average readers on digit and letter naming speed using continuous-list and discrete-trial methods.
• Employed multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) and hierarchical regression analyses.

Main Results:

• Reader group significantly affected discrete-trial naming latencies.
• Naming speed for digits shared considerable variance with word identification latency.
• Naming speed independently contributed to reading skill, even when controlling for phonological awareness.

Conclusions:

• Poor readers show deficits in discrete-trial naming speed.
• Naming speed is a significant predictor of reading skill in young children.
• The findings support a broader role for general processing speed in reading acquisition.