RESEARCH ARTICLE
Mediators of working memory and reading in a sample of children with reading difficulty: The roles of phonemic awareness and rapid automatized naming
Julia M. Guerin,
Sarah Droder,
Lynley Turkelson,
Quintino R. Mano,
Julia M. Guerin
Department of Psychology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Search for more papers by this authorSarah Droder
Department of Psychology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Search for more papers by this authorLynley Turkelson
Department of Psychology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Quintino R. Mano
Department of Psychology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Correspondence
Quintino R. Mano, University of Cincinnati, Department of Psychology, 47 Corry Blvd., Edwards 1 Bldg, Suite 5130C, Cincinnati, OH 45219, USA.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorJulia M. Guerin,
Sarah Droder,
Lynley Turkelson,
Quintino R. Mano,
Julia M. Guerin
Department of Psychology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Search for more papers by this authorSarah Droder
Department of Psychology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Search for more papers by this authorLynley Turkelson
Department of Psychology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Quintino R. Mano
Department of Psychology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Correspondence
Quintino R. Mano, University of Cincinnati, Department of Psychology, 47 Corry Blvd., Edwards 1 Bldg, Suite 5130C, Cincinnati, OH 45219, USA.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Working memory (WM) has been consistently linked to reading. However, the mechanism(s) linking WM to reading remain unclear. WM may indirectly exert an effect onto reading through mediators such as phonemic awareness (PA) and/or rapid automatized naming (RAN). In a sample of children with reading difficulty (n = 117), separate mediation analyses tested direct and indirect (through PA and RAN) effects of WM on untimed word decoding and recognition (i.e., basic reading skills) and timed word decoding and recognition (i.e., reading fluency). WM exerted a direct effect on basic reading skills and reading fluency. For basic reading skills, there was a significant indirect effect of WM on reading through the mediation of PA (but not through RAN). By contrast, for reading fluency, there was a significant indirect effect of WM on reading through the mediation of RAN (but not through PA). Findings reinforce the importance of WM, PA, and RAN for broad reading skills, while offering a mechanistic explanation for why poor PA and/or RAN may differentially lead to reading difficulty.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT
The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Open Research
DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
Research data are not shared.
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