What component of executive functions contributes to normal and impaired reading comprehension in young adults?

Inhibition and Reading Comprehension in Adolescents with and without Histories of Language Difficulties

This study sought to determine if the inhibitory construct of executive function (EF) and self-regulation (SR) contributes unique variance to reading comprehension (RC) beyond word recognition/decoding (WR/D) and language comprehension (LC), and if the contribution differs according to language history. Thirty-two sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students participated in this study. Seventeen students had language difficulties (LD) and fifteen students had typical language histories (LH). Participants were given a battery of RC, LC, WR/D, and inhibition (attentional control and interference) measures. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses and tests for moderation effects were used to explore the contribution of each variable to RC. Inhibition contributed significant variance to RC in addition to the variance accounted for by LC and WR/D in adolescent learners. Inhibition contributed a greater proportion of variance to RC for students with typical LH than for students with LD. Advancing the understanding of the role of inhibition in EF, SR, and RC may support early identification efforts and drive the development of interventions that effectively target RC deficits.

Is it possible to promote executive functions in university students? Evidence of effectiveness of the πFEx-Academics

Executive functions (EF) impact the success of university students. These skills appear to have a predictive role in academic performance. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of an intervention program in EF aimed at university students, the πFex-Academics, seeking to verify whether there are gains in EF, a reduction in inattention and hyperactivity indicators and a transfer to reading comprehension. Participants were two professors and their respective classes, totaling 129 students. The classes were divided into: experimental group (EG) (n = 66) and control group (CG) (n = 63). All students underwent a pre- and post-intervention assessment. The program implementation process was mediated by the EG professor. Although no direct gains were identified in the indices of EF difficulties, greater gains in the EG were verified in the hyperactivity/impulsivity and reading comprehension indices, when compared to the CG. These findings are promising, demonstrating the first evidence of the effectiveness of the πFex-Academics. The incorporation of interventions into the university context can provide various benefits for students, with improved behavior and written language processing, necessary for the best possible academic success. Activities of EF mediation for higher education learning can be incorporated into extension courses or the curriculum of university courses.

Text Reading Fluency and Text Reading Comprehension Do Not Rely on the Same Abilities in University Students With and Without Dyslexia

Developmental dyslexia is a specific learning condition characterized by severe and persistent difficulties in written word recognition, decoding and spelling that may impair both text reading fluency and text reading comprehension. Despite this, some adults with dyslexia successfully complete their university studies even though graduating from university involves intensive exposure to long and complex texts. This study examined the cognitive skills underlying both text reading comprehension and text reading fluency (TRF) in a sample of 54 university students with dyslexia and 63 university students without dyslexia, based on a set of tests adapted for an adult population, including listening comprehension, word reading, pseudoword reading (i.e., decoding), phonemic awareness, spelling, visual span, reading span, vocabulary, non-verbal reasoning, and general knowledge. The contribution of these skills to text reading fluency and text reading comprehension was examined using stepwise multiplicative linear regression analyses. As far as TRF is concerned, a regression model including word reading, pseudoword reading and spelling best fits the data, while a regression model including listening comprehension, general knowledge and vocabulary best fits the data obtained for text reading comprehension. Overall, these results are discussed in the light of the current literature on adults with dyslexia and both text reading fluency and text reading comprehension.

Socioeconomic Status, Culture, and Reading Comprehension in Immigrant Students

Research on reading comprehension in immigrant students is heterogeneous and conflicting. Differences in socioeconomic status and cultural origins are very likely confounds in determining whether differences to native pupils can be attributed to immigrant status. We collected data on 312 Spanish students of Native, of Hispanic origin–therefore with the same family language as native students- and Non-Hispanic origin, while controlling for socioeconomic status, non-verbal reasoning and school membership. We measured reading comprehension, knowledge of syntax, sentence comprehension monitoring, and vocabulary. Differences among groups appeared only in vocabulary and syntax (with poorer performance in the non-Hispanic group), with no differences in reading comprehension. However, regression analyses showed that most of the variability in reading comprehension was predicted by age, socioeconomic status, non-verbal reasoning, and comprehension monitoring. Group membership did not significantly contribute to explain reading comprehension variability. The present study supports the idea that socioeconomically disadvantaged students, both native and immigrants from diverse cultural backgrounds, irrespective of the language of origin, are probably equally at risk of poor reading comprehension.

The Contribution of Executive Functions When Reading Multiple Texts: A Systematic Literature Review

In the present-day knowledge society, people need to critically comprehend information across multiple sources that express diverse and contradictory viewpoints. Due to the complexity associated with this process, an important role can be played by Executive Functions, that is, cognitive control processes used to regulate mental functioning and behavior when automatized elaborations are not sufficient. The aim of this article is to review existing research on the roles of executive functions when reading from multiple texts. To identify the appropriate studies, we conducted a search in the following databases: Web of science, Scopus, PsycInfo, Eric. The search string was created by combining the terms used in past literature reviews on executive functions and multiple-texts comprehension. From the total number of 4,877 records identified, seven articles met all the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Given the scarcity of studies on the topic, we decided to examine also eight articles reporting indirect evidence about the association between executive functions and multiple-text comprehension. Our review revealed that the study of the association between executive functions and multiple-texts comprehension is underdeveloped. The results seem to suggest that working memory is involved in surface comprehension, whereas results about sourcing and intertextual integration processes are mixed. Indirect evidence suggests that other executive functions, such as planning or monitoring, may be involved when learning from multiple texts. More research on this topic is needed given the increasing complexity of the contexts in which reading activities take place.

Literacy-supporting skills in college students with specific reading comprehension deficit and developmental language disorder

Specific reading comprehension deficit (S-RCD) and developmental language disorder (DLD) are both commonly occurring developmental disorders of language. The ways in which these disorders do and do not overlap during childhood are a matter of debate (Nation & Norbury, 2005). Moreover, in both populations, the challenges faced by individuals in adulthood are understudied. Here, we combined data across cohorts of college students, and classified individuals with only S-RCD (n = 20), only DLD (n = 55), and co-occurring S-RCD and DLD (n = 13). Individuals with good language and reading skills, who matched those with S-RCD on decoding, comprised our typical language and reading group (TD; n = 20). Beyond the measures used for classification, group-level differences were identified in sentence-level reading fluency, phonological processing, verbal working memory, and rapid automatized naming. We found that skill profiles differed across groups; however, we found no evidence of weaknesses beyond the core deficit in reading comprehension observed in those with only S-RCD. In contrast, when S-RCD co-occurs with DLD, weaknesses are observed in phonological processing, as well as reading fluency and verbal working memory. These findings suggest that some adults with S-RCD have co-occurring DLD as a core weakness. These findings, as well as differences between individuals with S-RCD and DLD, are further discussed.

A Influência de Variáveis Cognitivas e do TDAH na Leitura de Crianças

Resumo O estudo investigou a influência de variáveis cognitivas na leitura de crianças com desenvolvimento típico e em crianças com Transtorno de Déficit de Atenção e Hiperatividade (TDAH). Participaram 70 crianças do 2° ao 7° anos do Ensino Fundamental, divididas nos grupos: TDAH e controle. Foram aplicadas tarefas de consciência fonológica, memória de trabalho fonológica, nomeação seriada rápida, vocabulário, quociente de inteligência (QI), atenção, flexibilidade cognitiva e leitura (precisão, fluência e compreensão). Análises de regressão linear múltipla indicaram que a nomeação seriada rápida e a consciência fonológica contribuíram fortemente para a precisão, a fluência e a compreensão de leitura. O TDAH influenciou somente na compreensão. Argumentou-se que provavelmente os componentes da função executiva são os responsáveis pela relação entre TDAH e compreensão de leitura.

Reading Goals and Executive Function in Autism: An Eye-Tracking Study

The sources of reading comprehension difficulties in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are still open to discussion. We explored their ability to adapt reading strategies to different reading goals using eye-tracking technology. A group of participants with ASD, and intelligence-, receptive oral language- and reading skills-matched control peers, read three stories under three different reading goals conditions: read for entertainment; read for study; and read fast and search information for a previously presented question. Each text required participants to answer comprehension questions. The ASD group was less accurate in question answering. The control group was faster in reading questions, displayed more fixations on the text, and reported to be more confident in question answering during reading for study compared to reading for entertainment. These differences between reading goals were not observed in the ASD group. The control group adopted and was aware of using different reading strategies according to different reading goals. In contrast, the ASD group did not change their reading behavior and strategies between entertainment and study reading goal condition, showing less of a tendency to adopt deep-level processing strategies when necessary. Planning, as measured by Tower of Hanoi, was the only executive task that predicted individual differences in text reading time across conditions. Participants with better planning ability were also able to adapt their reading behavior to different reading instructions. Difficulties in adjusting the reading behavior according to the task, evaluating own performance and planning may be partly involved in reading comprehension problems in ASD. LAY ABSTRACT: The control group read questions faster, reported to be more confident in question answering during reading for study compared to reading for entertainment, and were aware of using different reading strategies according to different reading goals. In contrast, the autistic group did not change their reading behavior and strategies according to the reading goal. Difficulties in adjusting the reading behavior according to the task, in evaluating own performance and in planning may be partly involved in reading comprehension problems in autism. Autism Res 2021, 14: 1007-1024. © 2020 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, LLC.

Natural Reading in Parkinson's Disease With and Without Mild Cognitive Impairment

Background: Patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) show eye movement abnormalities and frequently complain about difficulties in reading. So far, it is unclear whether basal ganglia dysfunction or cognitive impairment has a greater impact on eye movements during reading.

Objective: To analyze eye movement behavior during a natural reading task with respect to cognitive state and dopaminergic therapy in PD and healthy controls.

Methods: Eye movements of 59 PD patients and 29 age- and education-matched healthy controls were recorded during mute, self-paced reading of a text. 25 cognitively normal PD patients performed the task additionally in off medication state. Clinical assessment included a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery and the motor section of MDS—Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS).

Results: PD-mild cognitive impairment (MCI) was diagnosed in 21 patients. Reading speed was significantly reduced in PD-MCI compared to healthy controls and PD patients without MCI due to higher numbers of progressive saccades. Cognitively intact PD patients showed no significant alterations of reading speed or eye movement pattern during reading. The fixation duration tended to be prolonged in PD compared to healthy controls and decreased significantly after levodopa intake. Scores for executive functions, attention, and language correlated with reading speed in the PD group.

Conclusion: The present study is the first to reveal (1) reduced reading speed with altered reading pattern in PD with MCI and (2) a relevant impact of levodopa on fixation duration during reading in PD. Further research is needed to determine whether therapeutic interventions, e.g., levodopa or neuropsychological training, improve the subjective reading experience for patients with PD.

Altered Functional Connectivity of the Executive Functions Network During a Stroop Task in Children with Reading Difficulties

Children with reading difficulties (RDs) often receive related accommodations in schools, such as additional time for examinations and reading aloud written material. Existing data suggest that these readers share challenges in executive functions (EFs). Our study was designed to determine whether children with RDs have specific challenges in EFs and define neurobiological signatures for such difficulties using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data. Reading and EFs abilities were assessed in 8-12-year-old children with RDs and age-matched typical readers. Functional MRI data were acquired during a Stroop task, and functional connectivity of the EFs defined network was calculated in both groups and related to reading ability. Children with RDs showed lower reading and EFs abilities and demonstrated greater functional connectivity between the EFs network and visual, language, and cognitive control regions during the Stroop task, compared to typical readers. Our results suggest that children with RDs utilize neural circuits supporting EFs more so than do typical readers to perform a cognitive task. These results also provide a neurobiological explanation for the challenges in EFs shared by children with RDs and explain challenges this group shares outside of the reading domain.

Pay attention to digital text: The impact of the media on text comprehension and self-monitoring in higher-education students with ADHD

BACKGROUND

Higher-education students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often face difficulties in self-regulation of learning (SRL). Studies of typical students have shown that SRL is less effective for digitally displayed texts. The current study investigated the influence of the media (digital, print) on reading comprehension and self-monitoring (a component of SRL) in higher-education students with and without ADHD.

METHODS

Forty-five students with ADHD and 61 matched controls read an expository text displayed digitally or in print. Then, they predicted their performance score and answered comprehension questions. Sustained attention and set-shifting abilities were also assessed.

RESULTS

In the digital condition, students with ADHD had significantly lower comprehension scores and were overconfident in their predictions of success relative to controls. In the print condition, the ADHD group spent more time reading the text, but their predictions of performance and comprehension scores were comparable to those of the control group. Poor sustained attention was significantly correlated with lower comprehension scores in both media conditions, whereas set-shifting correlated only with comprehension of the printed text.

CONCLUSIONS

Understanding a digitally displayed text is more challenging for students with ADHD than their peers, particularly when the conditions of the comprehension task favor good SRL skills.

Do Chinese Children With Math Difficulties Have a Deficit in Executive Functioning?

Several studies have shown that Executive Functioning (EF) is a unique predictor of mathematics performance. However, whether or not children with mathematics difficulties (MD) experience deficits in EF remains unclear. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine if Chinese children with MD experience deficits in EF. We assessed 23 children with MD (9 girls, mean age = 10.40 years), 30 children with reading difficulties and MD (RDMD; 12 girls, mean age = 10.82 years), and 31 typically-developing (TD) peers (16 girls, mean age = 10.41 years) on measures of inhibition (Color-Word Stroop, Inhibition), shifting of attention (Planned Connections, Rapid Alternating Stimuli), working memory (Digit Span Backwards, Listening Span), processing speed (Visual Matching, Planned Search), reading (Character Recognition, Sentence Verification), and mathematics (Addition and Subtraction Fluency, Math Standard Achievement Test). The results of MANOVA analyses showed first that the performance of the MD children in all EF tasks was worse than their TD peers. Second, with the exception of the shifting tasks in which the MD children performed better than the RDMD children, the performance of the two groups was similar in all measures of working memory and inhibition. Finally, covarying for the effects of processing speed eliminated almost all differences between the TD and MD groups (the only exception was Listening Span) as well as the differences between the MD and RDMD groups in shifting of attention. Taken together, our findings suggest that although Chinese children with MD (with or without comorbid reading difficulties) experience significant deficits in all EF skills, most of their deficits can be accounted by lower-level deficits in processing speed.

The unique role of executive function skills in predicting Hong Kong kindergarteners' reading comprehension

BACKGROUND

Word reading and linguistic comprehension skills are two crucial components in reading comprehension, according to the Simple View of Reading (SVR). Some researchers have posited that a third component should be involved in reading and understanding texts, namely executive function (EF) skills.

AIM

This study was novel in two ways. Not only did we tested EF skills as a predictor of reading comprehension in a non-alphabetic language (i.e., Chinese) to extend the theoretical model of SVR, we also examined reading comprehension further in kindergarten children (age 5) in Hong Kong, in the attempt to reveal possible early precursors of reading comprehension.

SAMPLE(S)

A group of 170 K3 kindergarteners was recruited in Hong Kong.

METHODS

Children's word reading was assessed. Their linguistic comprehension was assessed with phonological awareness, verbal short-term memory, and vocabulary knowledge. Using a structured observation task, Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders (HTKS), we measured their composite scores for EF skills.

RESULTS

Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders performance predicted unique variance in children's Chinese reading comprehension concurrently beyond word reading and a set of linguistic comprehension skills.

CONCLUSIONS

The results highlight the important role of EF skills in beginning readers' reading comprehension.