Jennifer Stiegler-Balfour gives talk about Reading Comprehension Skill Levels
Jennifer Stiegler-Balfour, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, presented a talk entitled “Learning from text: The effects of reading comprehension skill and the ability to inhibit irrelevant information” at the Mainely Data 2011 Conference at Bates College in May. Focusing on the cognitive processes posing the greatest challenges to readers, Dr. Stiegler-Balfour detailed recent findings from her research initiatives which suggest reading skill may be directly related to the ability – or inability – to suppress irrelevant information. Isolating the complex processes which contribute to reading skill gaps is believed to be a critical factor in alleviating comprehension deficits across all age groups.