Presented at the 21th Annual Conference of the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading; Santa Fe, New Mexico, July 16–19 2014.

Purpose: Because serial naming is a stronger predictor of reading than discrete naming, executive control demands may mediate the relationship between serial RAN and reading. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the contribution of executive functions in the naming speed and reading fluency relationship.
Method: 107 Greek children in Grade 6 were assessed on serial and discrete naming (digits, objects, words), executive (inhibition, shifting, updating) and non-executive tasks (simple choice reaction), and a serial alternating naming task (digits and objects).
Results: Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted separately for the executive and the naming speed tasks. A one-factor model including all executive and their control tasks provided the best fit. A three-factor model that included two serial factors (one for digits and words and one for alternating stimuli and objects), and one discrete factor fit the data well. Combining the two models, the common factor of executive and control tasks correlated more strongly with the discrete than with the serial naming/reading factors.
Conclusions: The executive tasks failed to explain the sequential control demands, that may mediate the relationship between serial naming and reading. The high correlation between the executive/control factor and the discrete naming factor likely reflects the common method of response to individually presented stimuli (choice reaction time). The distinction between serial and discrete dimensions indicates that serial control is crucial to the relationship between rapid naming and reading and should be investigated with serial-format executive tasks.