Open AccessCognitive predictors of reading comprehension levels using discriminant analysis
Author(s) -
Lorena Canet Juric,
Sebastián Urquijo,
María Marta Richard’s,
Débora I. Burin
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
international journal of psychological research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.23
H-Index - 11
eISSN - 2011-7922
pISSN - 2011-2084
DOI - 10.21500/20112084.865
Subject(s) - reading comprehension , working memory , psychology , vocabulary , cognitive psychology , cognition , inference , comprehension , discriminative model , reading (process) , short term memory , developmental psychology , linguistics , artificial intelligence , computer science , philosophy , neuroscience
Reading comprehension is a complex skill, which involves different cognitive processes such as monitoring, working memory, interference suppression and resolution inferences. The aim of this work is to evaluate the discriminative ability of these processes, to differentiate levels of reading comprehension, in children between 8 and 9 years of age (N = 89) of public, and private, schools, in the city of Mar del Plata, Argentina. For this, specific tests were administered to each of these processes. The results distinguished two discriminant functions; the first one was the only that distinguished between individuals with good or bad comprehension abilities. A good level of reading comprehension implied to be efficient in the use of language skills (monitoring, inference, vocabulary), and, also, having abilities of processing (working memory). In contrast, the failure in general processing skills, such as phonological working memory or deficit in the ability to relate concepts (vocabulary), appeared to be characteristic of individuals with bad comprehension skills.