Research

Research

What Rapid Naming Tells Us About the Reading Brain

Norton & Wolf's Annual Review of Psychology paper is the field's reference account of RAN and reading fluency.

Norton & Wolf's Annual Review of Psychology paper is the field's reference account of RAN and reading fluency.

Norton & Wolf's Annual Review of Psychology paper is the field's reference account of RAN and reading fluency.

Elizabeth Norton & Maryanne Wolf

Abstract visualization of neural connections

Norton and Wolf’s Annual Review of Psychology paper is the citation of record on rapid automatized naming, and on why naming a row of colors fast predicts reading in every written language studied.

RAN is a microcosm of the processes involved in reading.

— Norton & Wolf, 2012

Read the free PDF hosted by Northwestern, or the record at Annual Reviews.

Related in the Nest: The double-deficit hypothesis · Where RAN research began · Wolf’s Children of the Code interview

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Evidence-based reading programs grounded in 20+ years of research. Created by Dr. Maryanne Wolf.

© 2026 Nido Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.

Nido Learning logo

Evidence-based reading programs grounded in 20+ years of research. Created by Dr. Maryanne Wolf.

© 2026 Nido Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.

Nido Learning logo

Evidence-based reading programs grounded in 20+ years of research. Created by Dr. Maryanne Wolf.

© 2026 Nido Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.