A pilot study of subjective difficulty and vagal responses during adult reading fluency

This pilot study examined whether subjective literacy-related difficulty is associated with task-related vagal/autonomic responses during adult silent reading fluency. Thirty-one university students completed a silent reading fluency task and a questionnaire assessing subjective difficulties in reading and writing, while autonomic activity was assessed using a heart rate variability index reflecting parasympathetic modulation. We exploratorily examined whether silent reading fluency was directly associated with task-related change in this parasympathetic index, or whether this association was indirectly related to subjective reading or writing difficulty. Silent reading fluency was not directly associated with task-related change in this index. However, the exploratory mediation model suggested an indirect association through subjective writing difficulty. These preliminary findings suggest that subjective writing difficulty may be linked to individual differences in vagal/autonomic responses during adult reading fluency. The results should be interpreted cautiously given the pilot design, small sample size, and exploratory nature of the analysis.