READING-COMPREHENSION AS A FUNCTION OF CO GNITIVE-STYLE AND THE PRESENCE OR ABSENCE OF DISLEXIA

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the cognitive style (reflective and impulsive) and the presence or absence of dysle xia oil reading comprehension. Sixty boys and girls of the elementary public schools of tile educational region of San Juan, Puerto Rico par ticipated in the study. The sample consisted of 30 dyslexics and 30 no n-dyslexics. The dyslexics and non-dyslexics participants were compose d of 15 boys and girls each with a reflective cognitive style and 15 b oys and girls with an impulsive cognitive style. The Matching Familiar Figure Test was used to determine the cognitive style of the particip ants. Each participant read a story according to their grade. Their le vel of reading comprehension was measured with the Narrative Evaluatio n Street. The results were the following: tile variation in the readin g comprehension associated to the cognitive style and the condition (p resence or absence of dyslexia) were significant (p .0010 and .0001). Tile variation associated to the interaction effect of the two variabl es in the study was not found significant. The results may imply that non-dyslexics and dyslexics can improve their reading comprehension if induced toward a reflective cognitive style.