The objective of this study is to determine the contribution made by knowledge of
letters, phonological awareness, phonological memory, and alphanumeric and nonalphanumeric
rapid automatized naming at the ages of six and seven to the ability of
Spanish children to read words at 7 years of age. A total of 116 Spanish-speaking school
children took part in the study, from schools located in an average socio-cultural setting,
without special educational needs. The reading ability of these pupils was evaluated
at the age of seven, and cognitive variables were assessed at 6 and 7 years of age.
Descriptive-exploratory analyses, bivariate analyses, and multivariate regressions were
performed. The results show that cognitive variables measured at these ages contribute
differently to the ability to read words at 7 years of age. Rapid naming does not seem
to influence word reading; knowledge of letters no longer influences word reading as
children grow older; and phonological awareness and phonological memory maintain
their contribution to the explanation of word reading. These results indicate that reading
in Spanish depends on different cognitive variables and that this relationship varies
according to age. The findings have key educational implications in terms of teaching
reading skills and the prevention of specific learning difficulties in Spanish Primary
Education.
