Verbal factors in visual recognition memory of poor readers

This study examined the role of verbal factors in visual learning and recognition of 36 good and 36 poor readers of normal intelligence. These second and third grade boys studied 3 sets of paired-associates in which pictorial stimuli were paired with letters, geometric designs, or abstract shapes. Recognition memory was assessed. Verbal factors measured were knowledge of names of letters and shapes, latency to label production, and verbal mediational strategies. Poor readers did not differ from good readers on any of the measures of verbal processing. Letters, geometric designs, and abstract shapes differed from one another on latency to production of labels or verbal codability. Poor readers performed significantly more poorly than good readers on the recognition task regardless of the codability of the stimuli. These findings are consistent with a perceptual deficit view of visual recognition problems of young boys who are poor readers.