What is the relationship between reading speed and memory span?

The relationship between reading speed and memory span is understood through the lens of cognitive processing. A strong positive correlation indicates that as reading speed increases, memory span, or the ability to retain information temporarily, also tends to increase. This can be attributed to the cognitive strategies that proficient readers employ. Skilled readers are often capable of holding larger chunks of information in their working memory while processing text at a faster rate.

When individuals read quickly, they effectively utilize their working memory to manage and integrate the information they are encountering. This allows them to comprehend and retain more information simultaneously. Therefore, a heightened reading speed reflects an enhanced cognitive ability to process and remember information, illustrating the strong positive correlation between these two variables.

In contrast, other correlations, such as inversely or negatively correlated options, would suggest that as one variable increases, the other decreases, which does not align with the cognitive research on reading and memory. Similarly, stating that there is no correlation would overlook the observed relationship that exists in cognitive performance measures.