Abstract
An accurate model of the factors that contribute to individual differences in reading ability depends on data collection in large, diverse and representative samples of research participants. However, that is rarely feasible due to the constraints imposed by standardized measures of reading ability which require test administration by trained clinicians or researchers. Here we explore whether a simple, two-alternative forced choice, time limited lexical decision task (LDT), self-delivered through the web-browser, can serve as an accurate and reliable measure of reading ability. We found that performance on the LDT is highly correlated with scores on standardized measures of reading ability such as the Woodcock-Johnson Letter Word Identification test (r = 0.91, disattenuated r = 0.94). Importantly, the LDT reading ability measure is highly reliable (r = 0.97). After optimizing the list of words and pseudowords based on item response theory, we found that a short experiment with 76 trials (2–3 min) provides a reliable (r = 0.95) measure of reading ability. Thus, the self-administered, Rapid Online Assessment of Reading ability (ROAR) developed here overcomes the constraints of resource-intensive, in-person reading assessment, and provides an efficient and automated tool for effective online research into the mechanisms of reading (dis)ability.
Highlights
An accurate model of the factors that contribute to individual differences in reading ability depends on data collection in large, diverse and representative samples of research participants
Our primary goal was to evaluate the suitability of a browser-based lexical decision task as a measure of reading ability
Lexical decision is commonly used to interrogate the mechanisms of word recognition, and previous studies have shown: (a) differences in task performance in dyslexia, (b) changes in task performance over development and (c) relationships to various measures of reading ability
Summary
An accurate model of the factors that contribute to individual differences in reading ability depends on data collection in large, diverse and representative samples of research participants. Standardized measures of reading ability typically require a trained test administrator to administer the test to each research participant These two factors: (a) make it time consuming and costly to recruit and test large samples, (b) prohibit including research subjects that are more than a short drive from a university, (c) bias samples towards university communities and (d) create major barriers for the inclusion of under-represented groups. Even though a researcher might be able to accurately measure processing speed or visual motion perception in thousands of subjects through the web-browser, they would still need to individually administer standardized reading assessments to each participant. Tests like the Woodcock-Johnson are not yet amenable to automated administration through the web-browser because speech recognition algorithms are still imperfect, for children pronouncing decontextualized words and pseudowords
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