Profiling of Graphophonological Semantic Flexibility in Typical Readers: A Cross-sectional Study

Graphophonological semantic flexibility (GSF) is a reading-specific cognitive flexibility that allows an individual to process a print's phonological and semantic elements simultaneously. The study aimed to explore the developmental profile of GSF in typical readers.

Ninety typically developing children, ages 8 to 11 years, were recruited and divided into three age groups: 8, 9, and 10. They were given a web-based GSF task that required them to arrange 12-word cards in a 2 × 2 matrix according to their initial phoneme and meaning. Several GSF components were computed, such as sorting speed, accuracy, and index. Furthermore, word reading, non-word reading, and passage comprehension were used to assess their reading profile.

The Kruskal-Wallis analysis revealed significant differences in sorting accuracy (H (2) = 32.67, p < .001), speed (H (2) = 20.25, p < .001), and index (H (2) = 26.97, p < .001) across all ages. According to Dunn's post hoc analysis, accuracy improved across all age groups (p < .01) and in the index between 8 and 10 (p < .001). The Mann-Whitney U test showed gender differences in sorting speed (U = 717, p = .03). Additionally, Spearman's rank correlation showed a significant positive association between GSF and word reading (r = 0.47, p < .001) and text comprehension (r = 0.55, p < .001).

The findings demonstrated that GSF components are developmental and do not significantly impact gender other than sorting speed. Furthermore, a relationship between GSF and word reading and passage comprehension emerged.