Of the so-called reading tests used, Thorndike's Visual Vocabulary is the best measure of reading ability¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associationalr1·q3
Currency · newest study 1921 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q3 i? Among the so-called reading tests administered, Thorndike's Visual Vocabulary ranked best against both criteria, while Monroe's Rate of Silent Reading showed almost no correlation. → Wyman 1921
Evidence¶
Wyman 1921¶
Wyman, J. B., & Wendle, M. (1921). What is Reading Ability? The Journal of Educational Psychology, 518-531. https://eric.ed.gov/?q=%22What+is+Reading+Ability%22
q3 · i? · associational · r1
Grade VIII reading study conclusion: Visual Vocabulary correlated +0.62 ± 0.07 with Reading Ability T and 0.76 with Reading Ability C, the highest of the so-called reading tests under both criteria. These are raw correlations with probable errors, so no standardised magnitude is coded.
"Of the so-called Reading tests used, the best of them as a test of reading ability is Thorndike's Visual Vocabulary, while Monroe's Rate of Silent Reading test shows almost no correlation with our criteria for reading ability."
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- Monroe's Rate of Silent Reading shows almost no correlation with either criterion of reading ability — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
- Teachers' judgments of pupils' reading ability correlate more highly with a general mental ability test than with any of the so-called reading tests — related
- Rate tests that mechanically control comprehension yield more reliable results than uncontrolled rate tests — related
- Monroe's silent reading test permits substantial chance success, inflating comprehension scores — related
- Case evidence suggests the Thorndike-McCall diagnoses comprehension power unaffected by reading mechanics, as in a slow reader of above-125 IQ scoring at grade level — related
- The Thorndike-McCall correlates about 0.50 with other single comprehension tests and 0.69 with a composite of group intelligence tests — related
- Under the expert-weighted criterion (Reading Ability C), the Terman Group Test correlates highest, raising the question whether the criterion measures general intelligence — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
visual-vocabulary-best-of-reading-tests |
title |
Of the so-called reading tests used, Thorndike's Visual Vocabulary is the best measure of reading ability |
description |
Of the so-called reading tests used, Thorndike's Visual Vocabulary is the best measure of reading ability |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
1921 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-24 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — wyman-1921 |
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