Intelligence, Cognitive Skills, and Early Reading Progress

TLDR

The study assessed 56 first‑grade children on general intelligence, decoding speed, phonological awareness, and listening comprehension, then examined their interrelations using multiple regression, factor analysis, and path analysis, and compared the results with third‑ and fifth‑grade cohorts. All four measures were moderately correlated with end‑of‑year reading comprehension, with decoding speed explaining the most unique variance; the expected link between general intelligence and reading after controlling for decoding was not found, and while the first‑ and fifth‑grade patterns were similar, third‑grade relationships differed, with inter‑subskill correlations strengthening with age.

Abstract

FIFTY-SIX first-grade children were administered measures of general intelligence, decoding speed, phonological awareness, and listening comprehension. All four types of measures were moderately related to end-of-year reading comprehension. Decoding speed accounted for the largest amount of unique variance. The hypothesis that reading is strongly related to general intelligence once differences in decoding ability have been accounted for was not supported. Other relationships among the variables were explored via multiple regression, factor analysis, and path analysis. Developmental comparisons were made with groups of thirdand fifth-grade children. The relationships between decoding, intelligence, and reading comprehension found in the first-grade sample were replicated in the fifth-grade sample but were somewhat different in the third-grade sample. The interrelationships between the various subskills of reading and intelligence increased with age, probably due to mutual facilitation.