This study investigated the effects of changes in luminance on the oral reading speeds of 13 participants with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and a control group of six age-matched persons with typical vision. For the AMD participants, self-reports of light preferences were also recorded. In the AMD group, reading rates depended on light…

Sentences recorded by four speakers with dysarthria and two control speakers were presented to listeners at three different rates: habitual, a 30% slower rate and a 30% higher rate. Rate changes were made by digitally manipulating the habitual sentences. Thirty young normal adult listeners rated the sentences for intelligibility (per cent correct…

Research with adults has shown that the distortion of visual word features, and in particular of the multiletter features within words, hampers word recognition. In this study, "CaSe MiXiNg" was employed to examine the effect of disrupting visual word features on the acquisition of orthographic knowledge in children. During the training, 18…

This study focused on teacher-education students taking a special-education language-arts course in which information about English word structure was taught. The relationship between students' component reading-related abilities and their performance on three measures of word-structure knowledge, before and after course instruction about word…

This is a study of the utility of Lexile scores for predicting adequate oral reading accuracy and oral reading rate in a tradebook. A Lexile score is a quantitative measure of readability that can be applied to texts and also a metric for describing reading achievement through the use of standardized reading comprehension measures. Participants…

A study involving 238 fourth grade pupils was conducted to determine whether a relationship exists between the use of instruction with masked materials and pupils' word recognition and comprehension. The pupils were placed into either an experimental or a control group. Each group was administered a pretest to measure reading rate, to insure that…

Examines the differences between beginning and skilled readers in the units used to represent the meaning of text. Compares reading times and recall of 50 third- and fifth-graders. Stimulus sentences all had the same number of words but varied in the number of underlying propositions. (Author/CB)

Compared to placebo controls, 28 individuals treated with Piracetam (a new drug thought to enhance learning and memory consolidation) showed statistically significant improvements above baseline scores on measures of effective reading accuracy and comprehension, reading speed, and writing accuracy. The medication was well tolerated and showed no…

The improvement of college students' reading rate and comprehension is a major educational concern. Many students arrive at college unprepared for the massive amount of required reading. This study presents several attempts to improve vocabulary, reading rate, and comprehension and addresses tangential issues related to the improvement of reading…

Results of a study of the reading rate of 435 students varying from grade four through college support the theory that individuals typically read at a constant rate rather than adjusting their rate to the difficulty level of the material. (AEA)

Reports on a study that demonstrated that college students are flexible in their reading and readily adjust their reading rates in accordance with the payoffs of a task. In particular, propositions expressing case relations were more likely to be retained than those expressing descriptive information. (HOD)

Describes a study designed to determine whether one-minute or two-minute tests of reading rates are more reliable and whether warm-up exercises improve the accuracy of rate measures. Indicates that results were inconsistent with theoretical expectations and past research and suggests that no changes in standardized testing practices are currently…

Uses a novel word-reading efficiency measure to determine if articulations or processing times associated with reading the word "aye" were enhanced through the phonological or orthographic qualities contained in the preceding word. Documents the importance of separating phonological and orthographic information in English homophones. (SG)

Examines serial naming speed and its association with reading ability. Suggests that children aged 4.0 to 5.5 years show wide variability in serial naming speed that is predominately attributable to the length of the pauses between the articulated words. Notes that there appears to be a developmental association between the duration of the pauses…

The study examined whether stutterers (27 children and 19 adults) subvocalize more slowly than nonstutterers and need more time for overt fluent speech production. Results indicated that a strictly motoric explanation of stuttering is inadequate as stutterers and nonstutterers differ in temporal parameters not only during speech execution, but…