Visual and auditory temporal processing, cross-modal transfer, and reading

The present study reexamined the relevance of auditory and visual cross-mod al matching to reading ability, an issue first addressed in a seminal study by Birch and Belmont (1964). By presenting all patterns to be matched as t emporal sequences of tones and lights, including intramodal as well as cros s-modal conditions, and covarying memory, three problems with the Birch and Belmont design were corrected. Results showed that poor readers had diffic ulty in perceiving temporal patterns generally: They did worse than good re aders not only on cross-modal conditions but also on intramodal ones. These results were replicated in two tasks. Nonetheless, hierarchical regression s provided some indication that cross-modal abilities themselves are releva nt to reading. For one of the two tasks, cross-modal performance contribute d to the prediction of reading ability over and above intramodal performanc e. Poor readers also showed slower response times-a factor that contributed marginally to the prediction of reading independent of temporal processing .