The Relationship of Individual Differences in Reading Ability to Proofreading Skill

• In Event: 35.083 - Poster Session 7
  In Poster Session: 35.083-1 - Reading Comprehension and Assessment

Abstract

Despite the abundance of studies that have used proofreading tasks to investigate cognitive processes during word identification and reading comprehension, there has been a surprising lack of research into the specific characteristics of readers that predict success at proofreading. Fifty-five adult participants completed a proofreading task and took assessments of spelling, vocabulary, and comprehension ability. In general, vocabulary and reading ability were better predictors of success in the proofreading exercise (including misspelling detection) than was spelling ability. Also, whereas vocabulary was the primary correlate of misspellings accuracy, reading was the primary correlate of repetitions and omissions accuracy, and vocabulary was not at all associated with these measures. Implications for classroom instruction and models of cognitive processes in reading are discussed.

Authors

• Lindsay Harris, Northern Illinois University

• Charles Perfetti, University of Pittsburgh