PROCESSING SPEED, NAMING SPEED, AND READING

With increasing age, children name familiar objects more rapidly, and these naming times are related to reading ability. The aim of this research was to determine if age-related change in naming time reflects (a) automatic access of familiar names due to greater familiarity with the named objects or (b) global change in speed of processing. To distinguish these explanations, 144 8- to 13-year-olds were administered measures of global processing time, naming time, and reading ability. Results of path analyses and structural-equation modeling were consistent with the second explanation. That is, naming time was predicted by measures of processing speed but not by age. In addition, naming time was linked to reading recognition, which was linked to reading comprehension. Age was also linked to reading recognition, indicating that other age-related variables need to be incorporated into the causal model.