Which cognitive and linguistc factors influence phonological processing in adolescents?

Purpose: To characterize phonological processing of adolescents and to identify language skills and cognitive functions that influence their age group.

Methods: 83 typical adolescents aged from 11 to 16 years of age participated in the research. Phonological awareness tests, rapid automatic naming, neuropsychological assessment and reading were used. Descriptive analysis and linear regression were carried out with a 5% significance level.

Results: Regarding phonological processing, a lower performance was found in the phonemic segmentation task, longer times for object naming and performance as were expected for working memory of the age range. There was a reciprocal association between rapid naming of objects, letters and working memory, between rapid naming of letters and phonological awareness. Executive functions and attention influence working memory and phonological awareness. Semantic episodic verbal memory influenced working memory and reading, phonological awareness.

Conclusion: The performance in phonological processing was influenced by linguistic and cognitive skills which suggests they are still improving in adolescents.