A study investigated what adults think about the nature of changes in reading ability across the life span. Subjects, 121 undergraduate students at two major midwestern universities and 24 non-faculty employees at one of these schools, were asked to list five or more skills which they thought were important for being a good reader at four different ages: age 6 (a first grader); age 10 (a fifth grader); an individual the same age as the subject; and a 70-year-old adult. The skills mentioned by the subjects were coded according to nine categories derived from reading research literature and discussions with several experts in reading research. Results indicated that the adults in the survey understood that there are particular skills which are important for good reading at any age, but that they were less certain of changes in reading skills and behaviors that can occur over the life span. (RS)