Read: Reading has been described as the main process of learning by association, and while it mainly involves seeing, it must involve association if it is to be more than calling out words. Reading comprehension is a complex mental process involving many abilities, chiefly understanding word meanings and verbal reasoning; without comprehension there is no reading. One researcher defined reading as a thinking process: decoding symbols, interpreting what they mean and applying the ideas. Some limit reading to decoding alone, matching symbols to sounds. Its second side is interpreting meaning: the reader links not only sound but meaning to a symbol, drawing on ideas built up around it. Many people decode words well but cannot find meaning in what they read. Linking meaning to decoded symbols still isn't the whole act of reading; there is also application, using what has been read. A full definition of reading includes developing ideas from what is read and applying them, organising the information to see how its parts relate. According to the passage, the complete act of reading includes: