ABSTRACT

Attention is correlated with reading, but the extent to which behavioral ratings and sustained attention relate to reading skills is unclear. We assessed 245 fourth and fifth grade struggling readers (mean age = 10.3 years) on behavioral ratings of attention, sustained attention, and reading over a school year. Contributions of behavioral ratings and sustained attention were considered cross-sectionally and longitudinally in the context of other important predictors of reading. Results suggest that sustained measures and behavioral ratings assess distinct, yet overlapping, aspects of attention. Both types of attention accounted for unique variance in comprehension, but not word reading accuracy or fluency, when evaluated cross-sectionally. Results also support the role of behavioral ratings of attention in fluency and in comprehension growth. Findings suggest that multidimensional assessment of attention is useful when considering its relation to reading, and highlight the need to integrate conceptualizations of attention that arise from different theoretical approaches.

摘要

注意力与阅读相关，但行为评级和持续注意力与阅读技能的相关程度尚不清楚。我们评估了 245 名四年级和五年级困难读者（平均年龄 = 10.3 岁）的注意力、持续注意力和整个学年阅读的行为评级。在其他重要的阅读预测因素的背景下，行为评级和持续注意力的贡献被横向和纵向考虑。结果表明，持续的测量和行为评级评估了注意力的不同但重叠的方面。当进行横断面评估时，两种类型的注意力都解释了理解方面的独特差异，但没有解释单词阅读的准确性或流畅性。结果还支持注意力的行为评级在流畅性和理解力增长中的作用。