Can imagery training help children who have comprehension problems?

An experiment is reported that explored whether training in mental imagery would improve text comprehension in 9‐year‐old children. Two groups of children were compared: good and poor comprehenders. The groups were matched on a test of vocabulary and decoding, but differed on a comprehension test. The results showed that a three‐session programme of training in imagery benefited the poor, but not the good, comprehenders, by comparison with a control group who merely answered questions about the same passages. The results are discussed in relation to possible causes of children's comprehension difficulties.