Description :  Reading is one of the most complex learning skills that children must master and one of the most vital for success in school and beyond (Kintsch, 1998; National Research Council, 1999; Rayner and Pollatsek, 1989). It is comprised of many subcomponent processes that have been heavily studied in isolation. A proliferation of subcomponent process models has recently prompted researchers to call for integrative accounts encompassing a broader array of phenomena (Nist and Simpson, 2000; Winne, 1996). Compensatory-Encoding Theory has been proposed (Walczyk, under review) as an integrative framework for understanding the interplay between automatic reading processes, cognitive resources (attention and working memory), and comprehension outcomes. The theory underscores the adaptive nature of cognitive processing and how adaptivity increases developmentally. More than any other theory of reading, it describes the varied ways readers compensate for automatic reading processes that fail due to their inefficiency or due to difficult text. The theory identifies restrictive task conditions that prohibit compensation use. Accordingly, the purpose of the research is to test the four major predictions of the theory in children. Whereas most research on inefficient reading skills concerns their deleterious effects (see Perfeetti, 1985; Rayner and Pollatsek, 1989), the theoretical impact of the proposed research, if confirmed, would add uniquely to this literature. One goal of this research is information regarding how readers across ages help automatic reading processes to succeed by adjusting the encoding of text. A second goal of this research is information regarding how older readers, more frequently than younger readers, use strategies to overcome automatic processes that have failed. The impact of the research, if its predictions are confirmed, would be to inform researchers as to how reading instruction takes place. Beyond a low level of skill automaticity, an emphasis on developing more efficient skills might be misplaced. Rather, children who comprehend poorly might need to be taught how to compensate for skill inefficiency and text difficulty. Finds would also indict time-restricted, standardized tests as unfairly penalizing less efficient readers who cannot compensate freely.

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Principal Investigator:  Walzyck, Jeffrey  --  Psychology and Behavioral Sciences

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Collaborators:  

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Funding Agencies:  NSF

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Amount Awarded:  $63,220

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Start Period:  07/01/2003

End Period:  06/30/2005