What mechanism underlies the rapid automatized naming–reading relation?

We examined why rapid automatized naming (RAN) is related to reading by manipulating one aspect of the RAN task at a time and by inspecting the changes occurring in the RAN–reading relation. In total, 136 Grade 2 English-speaking children and 121 university students were assessed on serial and discrete RAN, cancellation, and yes/no naming as well as on oral and silent reading fluency. The results of regression analyses indicated that seriality, access to phonological representations, and articulation play an important role in the RAN–reading relation. However, their effects were not equal for the two age groups or across the two reading outcomes.