Research suggests a role for aspects of the working memory system in reading. While much of the evidence points to a role for working memory capacity and the phonological loop, more recent work indicates a role for the central executive component, although findings remain unclear. There is an identified need for a reliable screening measure for risk of reading difficulties in children who are pre-readers. Recent research suggests that working memory measures may contribute to such a measure in addition to existing tests of phonological ability, non-verbal reasoning, motor skills and language. One hundred and two children aged between 56 and 69 months were assessed on measures of reading accuracy, working memory capacity, processing speed and a range of measures designed to assess central executive functioning. Linear regression, discriminant function analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were conducted to determine the predictive qualities and factor structure of the working memory assessment battery. Discriminant function analysis indicated that the working memory assessment battery was able to significantly discriminate between children who were at risk and not at risk of reading difficulties (as indicated by an independent measure). Linear regression and Confirmatory Factor Analysis revealed that the tests were a good predictor of the later outcome, particularly the alliteration fluency and sentence verification tasks. Therefore, the working memory assessment battery promises to be a useful screening measure for potential reading difficulties in educational settings, facilitating early effective intervention.

中文翻译：

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使用工作记忆评估电池及早发现阅读困难的风险

研究表明工作记忆系统的各个方面在阅读中发挥作用。虽然许多证据表明工作记忆容量和语音循环的作用，但最近的研究表明中央执行组件的作用，尽管研究结果仍不清楚。确定需要一种可靠的筛查措施，以应对处于阅读障碍前儿童阅读困难的风险。最近的研究表明，除了现有的语音能力、非语言推理、运动技能和语言测试之外，工作记忆测量可能有助于这种测量。对 102 名 56 至 69 个月大的儿童进行了阅读准确性、工作记忆能力、处理速度和一系列旨在评估中央执行功能的措施的评估。线性回归，进行了判别函数分析和验证性因素分析，以确定工作记忆评估组合的预测质量和因素结构。判别函数分析表明，工作记忆评估组合能够显着区分有阅读困难风险和没有阅读困难风险的儿童（如独立测量所示）。线性回归和验证性因素分析表明，这些测试可以很好地预测后来的结果，尤其是头韵流畅性和句子验证任务。因此，工作记忆评估组合有望成为教育环境中潜在阅读困难的有用筛查措施，促进早期有效干预。