The Reliability and Validity of Rapid Automatized Naming Scoring Software Ratings for the Determination of Pause and Articulation Component Durations

The reliability and validity of a time-domain, amplitude-based automatic Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN) scoring software program were investigated in two studies. The software was designed to mark the articulations and pauses inherent in rapid-naming tasks. In Study 1, the RAN letters subtest digital wave files of 44 primary grade students were scored using the automatic scoring software program. The pause and articulation component durations were statistically compared to pause and articulation durations that had previously been manually scored. Software-scored pause and articulation component times were not found to be significantly different from the manually scored times. Ratings from both software-scored components demonstrated internal consistency and statistically significant correlations with the manually scored components. In Study 2, statistically significant correlations among the computer-scored RAN letters pause component the RAN letters pause consistency. and concurrent reading ability of 144 second-, third-, and fourth-grade students were demonstrated.