Investigating preschool children's sensitivity to linguistic stress and phonological short-term memory with respect to vocabulary and phonological awareness

Linguistic stress, as a cognitive factor related to children's reading ability, has been a neglected topic of research in reading development until recently. The present study investigated sensitivity to linguistic stress and phonological short-term memory (PSTM) and their relationship to reading-related abilities in preschool children. Specifically, the research questions asked if lexical stress sensitivity and PSTM make significant independent contributions to vocabulary and to phonological awareness. Thirty children recruited from daycare centres participated in the study. These children received four batteries with age appropriate tasks measuring sensitivity to lexical stress, PSTM, phonological awareness, vocabulary, and letter knowledge.;Hierarchical linear regressions revealed that sensitivity to lexical stress contributed significant variance to both vocabulary beyond letter knowledge and PSTM, and phonological awareness beyond letter knowledge, PSTM, and vocabulary. Analyses also revealed that PSTM, although not significantly related to lexical stress sensitivity, was related to vocabulary and phonological awareness.;Overall, results demonstrated that sensitivity to linguistic stress is associated with reading-related abilities in preschool age children. Further, beyond the relationships found between PSTM and the other variables considered, it was also established to be an interesting cognitive ability that can be broken down into more than one measure. The results from the present study add to a large unfolding puzzle regarding the role of linguistic stress in reading development. Further investigation is required in order to determine directionality within the relationships.