Research

My research has three main goals:

Understand how cognition, particularly working memory, supports reading and spelling skills.

Working memory is very important in learning academic skills such as reading and spelling, however, more information is needed to improve our understanding of how exactly these and other cognitive abilities support us when we are learning these skills.

Develop technology-based assessment tools to study this relationship

In order to improve our understand of how cognition supports reading and spelling skills we need innovative tools that can help us gather more data, more efficiently, while also minimizing the burden of researchers and research participants.

Develop technology-based interventions that help improve basic reading and spelling skills.

A better understanding of how cognition supports reading and spelling skills will hopefully lead to the development of better intervention tools that can gather data about the person’s performance and adjust themselves in order to match that person’s needs. Just as in research, these tools should minimize the burden of clinicians and students.

As part of these lines of research I develop software tools to improve the way we research these topics. You can find more information in the Software section.

Here is a list of ongoing research projects:

TEST: Response modality effects on spelling performance of elementary-school children

This is a cross-sectional study in its initial stages of development, which aims to examine the effects of the response modality on the spelling performance of Spanish-speaking elementary-school children. Fifty Spanish-speaking children from third grade and fourth grade will participate in this study. The participants will complete paper-and-pencil and computer versions of a spelling test. The keyboard proficiency and age will be included as covariates. This project is in its development stage.

Investigator(s): Mario E. Bermonti-Pérez, Giselle Cordero-Arroyo, Manuel González-González

Systematic review: technology-based interventions for improving reading skills

Describe the methodological and analytical tendencies of studies that test the efficacy or effectiveness of technology-based interventions for improving reading skills

Investigator(s): Mario E. Bermonti-Pérez, Giselle Cordero-Arroyo

DeMo: Feasibility of the computerized intervention Letter Ordering for improving successive processing and spelling skills

The aim of this project is to test the feasibility of the computerized intervention Letter Ordering for improving Spelling skills of Spanish-speaking children with low reading achievement. The study implemented a Single-Subject Design with 4 third graders to explore its impact on spelling skills

Investigator(s): Mario E. Bermonti-Pérez, Giselle Cordero-Arroyo, Mary Annette Moreno Torres