 Reading Comprehension: The Wechsler Individual
Achievement Test (WIAT) consists of short passages followed by free response
questions. Responses are given orally, and scored and recorded by a trained
administrator. The 38-item test takes between 10 and 20 minutes to administer
and terminates when the participant incorrectly answers 4 items in a row. Norm
referenced scales are available.
Silent Reading (SIL): Participants are asked to read a short passage on
the computer screen at their normal rate. They are instructed that they will be
asked to answer a few general true/false questions after reading. They are
instructed that the questions are solely for the purpose of checking that they
comprehended the passage. Each test consists of nonfiction passages ranging in
length from 250 to 350 words and in readability from 4th -9th grade using the
Dale-Chall formula. Both reading speed and comprehension accuracy are
measured.
Propositional Processing - Listening (LISPP) and Sentence (SENPP):
Participants see a simple line picture (e.g., a triangle over a square), then
two sec later hear a sentence in an affirmative or negation form that is either
true or false of the picture (e.g., true-affirmative: the triangle is over the
square; true-negation: the square in not over the triangle; false-negative: the
triangle is not over the square; false-affirmative: the square is over the
triangle.) There are 36 items describing various relationships (e.g., over,
under, inside of, between) in random orders with half true, half false, half
affirmative, half negations. Measures of both accuracy and reaction time (RT)
are collected. SENPP is identical to LIS except a sentence is displayed below
the picture after two sec, but not heard.
Rapid Number Naming (RNN): Referred to as the K-D Test of the New York
State Optometric Association, the test consists of three cards of 40 numbers
each. Each of the 8 lines per card consists of 5 unevenly spaced numbers.
Participants are instructed to call out all the numbers on the card as quickly
and carefully as possible. Total time and errors per card is measured.
Number Naming (NREC): Consists of 10 single digit arabic numerals
repeated twice in random order. Items are presented individually and voice
onset for response is the main measure. Responses are also audio recorded to
check accuracy.
Picture Naming (PREC): Consists of 11 line drawings of well-known
objects (e.g., pencil, elephant) repeated twice in random orders. Items are
presented individually and voice onset for response is the main measure.
Responses are also audio recorded to check accuracy.
Pseudoword Naming (NWREC): Consists of 24 3-, 4-, and 5- letter
pseudowords. Items are presented individually and voice onset for response is
the main measure. Responses are also audio recorded to check accuracy.
Word Naming (WREC): Consists of 30 1-, 2-, or 3-syllable words covering
a span of printed word frequency bands based on Kucera and Frances (1967).
Items are presented individually and voice onset for response is the main
measure. Responses are also audio recorded to check accuracy.
Decoding (DEC): Participants see pairs of made up words, one of which
sounds like an English word, but is spelled differently. They must choose the
word that sounds most like an English word. Each test consists of 30 items
with two parallel forms. Measures of both accuracy and reaction time (RT) are
collected.
Decoding Think Aloud (DECTT): A subset of 10 items from each of the
parallel version of DEC are presented on index cards one pair at a time.
Participants are asked to pronounce each item, then think aloud as they decide
which one sounds like an English word. Responses are audio recorded. Measures
include both accuracy on each pair as well as how many items are pronounced
legally based on English sight to sound correspondences.
Lexical Decision Task (LEX): Participants see a single made up words
and are asked to decide yes or no whether it sounds like an English word. Each
test consists of 3 blocks of 40 items each (corresponding to the DEC items not
used for the DECTA task). The 3 blocks are random reordering of the 40 items,
thus each item is seen three times by each participant. There are two parallel
versions. Measures of both accuracy and reaction time (RT) are collected.
In addition to the repeated tests, a computerized questionnaire of background
information (BQ) and an interview of reading habits and strategies (HABT) will
be administered after the first repeated test session.
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