PREREADERS READING RELATED PHONOLOGICAL PROCESSES

本申请的长期目标是利用实验、心理测量和统计方法的进步，将阅读相关的语音过程与更一般的语言和认知能力分离，并将这一努力的结果应用于改善（a）早期识别有发展性阅读障碍或阅读障碍风险的儿童，以及（B）我们对语音过程发展与初级阅读技能习得之间因果关系的理解。 有四个具体目标，其中两个主要具有理论重要性，两个主要具有实践重要性。第一个具体的目标是确定如何最好地测量预读者的语音处理能力，以及语音处理如何从更一般的语言和智力能力中分离出来。这将通过比较研究一中的评估和评分的替代模式来实现，并通过将研究二中、三、四中涉及匹配控制任务的实验设计与高级统计分析相结合来实现。 第二个具体的目标是扩展和扩大的语音处理能力的性质模型，以预读。 这一目标将通过验证性因素分析来实现，以测试研究二，三，四中的预读者的语音处理能力的性质的替代模型。 第三个具体的目标是测试替代模型的发展之间的因果关系的预读者的语音处理能力和原始识字技能。 我们将实现这一目标，使用结构方程模型的纵向数据从研究三和四。 第四个也是最后一个具体目标是确定何时以及如何最好地识别有发展性阅读障碍或阅读障碍风险的预读者。 我们将在研究3和4中使用纵向预测设计来实现这一目标。 成功地将阅读相关的语音过程与更一般的语言和智力能力分离开来，对于推进我们对阅读障碍的认识具有深远的意义。 例如，为遗传连锁研究提供更精确的行为表型，为功能磁共振成像研究提供更集中的目标和控制任务。

The long-term objective of this application is to use advances in experimental, psychometric, and statistical methods to isolate reading-related phonological processes from more general language and cognitive abilities, and to apply the results of this effort to improving (a) the early identification of children at risk for developmental dyslexia or reading disability, and (b) our understanding of causal relations between the development of phonological processes and the acquisition of beginning reading skills. There are four specific aims, two of primarily theoretical importance and two of primarily practical importance. The first specific aim is to determine how prereaders' phonological processing abilities can best be measured in general, and how phonological processing can be isolated from more general language and intellectual abilities, in particular. This will be achieved by comparing alternative modes of assessment and scoring in study one, and by combining an experimental design involving matched control tasks with advanced statistical analyses in studies two, three, and four. The second specific aim is to extend and expand a model of the nature of phonological processing abilities to prereaders. This aim will be achieved using confirmatory factor analysis to test alternative models of the nature of prereaders' phonological processing abilities in studies two, three, and four. The third specific aim is to test alternative models of developing causal relations between prereaders' phonological processing abilities and proto-literacy skills. We will achieve this aim using structural equation modeling of longitudinal data from studies three and four. The fourth and final specific aim is to determine when and how best to identify prereaders who are at risk for developmental dyslexia or reading disability. We will achieve this aim using a longitudinal predictive design in studies three and four. Success in isolating reading-related phonological processes from more general language and intellectual abilities has implications for advancing our knowledge of reading disability that extend beyond the proposed studies. Examples include providing more precise behavioral phenotypes for genetic linkage studies and more focused target and control tasks for fMRI studies.