Dark‐interval‐threshold and Reading and Listening Comprehension in Nine‐year‐old Children

Abstract

Sixty nine‐year‐old children were grouped within sexes into three levels of dark‐interval‐threshold (DIT), and then both read and listened to easy and difficult prose passages which were followed by comprehension questions. A significant interaction was found between DIT, mode of presentation (reading or listening) and level of difficulty on their effect on comprehension. Generally, comprehension decreased with DIT although this was less marked when listening to the difficult material. The finding indicates that DIT reflects processes other than those involved just in the visual system. A comparison of DIT with extraversion and field‐independence showed that DIT was significantly, although not highly, related to extraversion but not to field‐independence.