Understanding Contextual Specificity in Cognitive-Reading Relations: Moderation by Age and IQ

Few studies have examined how cognitive-reading relations vary for children and adolescents with different levels of general cognitive ability. This may be instrumental in understanding the development of academic skills and learning difficulties. Research suggests reading development should emphasize the influence of contextual factors that have been featured in prominent theories on cognitive-academic development (e.g., mutualism, Spearman’s law of diminishing returns), which can provide new ways of understanding how cognitive processes influence reading. Moderated nonlinear factor analysis tested whether cognitive-reading relations differed by general ability levels and age using children and adolescents aged 5–18 from the Woodcock–Johnson V standardization sample ( N = 3384). Results suggested evidence of general ability level and age moderation of general intelligence and broad ability effects on reading skills. These findings provide a more granular perspective on understanding the cognitive processes that influence reading development and can inform psychoeducational assessment practices.