Auditory Temporal Processing and Working Memory: Two Independent Deficits for Dyslexia

Abstract

Dyslexia is a neuro-cognitive disorder with a strong genetic basis, characterized by a difficulty in acquiring reading skills. Several hypotheses have been suggested in an attempt to explain the origin of dyslexia, among which some have suggested that dyslexic readers might have a deficit in auditory temporal processing, while others hypothesized that dyslexia origins from a deficit in working memory. The current study was designed to test whether working memory and/or auditory temporal processing can predict reading ability in normal and dyslexic readers. Fifty-three adults were diagnosed with phonological dyslexia and 46 normal reading adults were tested on reading regular words, auditory temporal order judgment, and backward digit span. The results are that: For dyslexic readers, both auditory temporal processing and working memory are correlated with reading, even after controlling for their covariance. However, no correlation between reading measures, temporal processing and working memory are found for normal readers. The conclusions are that: (1) Both auditory temporal processing and working memory are significantly involved in reading among dyslexic readers; and (2) Dyslexic readers might use more different reading strategies than normal readers do, who apparently are not involved in auditory temporal processing and working memory while reading.