ERIC Number: EJ916928
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-May
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-0965
EISSN: N/A
Assessment of Working Memory Components at 6 Years of Age as Predictors of Reading Achievements a Year Later
Nevo, Einat; Breznitz, Zvia
Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, v109 n1 p73-90 May 2011
The ability of working memory skills (measured by tasks assessing all four working memory components), IQ, language, phonological awareness, literacy, rapid naming, and speed of processing at 6 years of age, before reading was taught, to predict reading abilities (decoding, reading comprehension, and reading time) a year later was examined in 97 children. Among all working memory components, phonological complex memory contributed most to predicting all three reading abilities. A capacity measure of phonological complex memory, based on passing a minimum threshold in those tasks, contributed to the explained variance of decoding and reading comprehension. Findings suggest that a minimal ability of phonological complex memory is necessary for children to attain a normal reading level. Adding assessment of phonological complex memory, before formal teaching of reading begins, to more common measures might better estimate children's likelihood of future academic success. (Contains 8 tables and 1 figure.)
Descriptors: Reading Comprehension, Reading, Academic Achievement, Phonological Awareness, Short Term Memory, Reading Ability, Intelligence Quotient, Cognitive Processes, Predictor Variables, Children, Beginning Reading, Evaluation
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A