Four levels of notetaking (summary, paraphrase, verbatim, and letter search) were used to control depth of processing of a prose passage with high school students, who then either reviewed their notes or read an interpolated text. Results favored groups with deeper levels of processing on two post-tests. (Author/RD)

A study found that a particular study skill system (mapping or paraphrasing) did not benefit one kind of learner (field dependent or field independent) more than another. (MKM)

A target paragraph was embedded in one passage where the target was of major importance, and one where it was of minor importance. Free recall, reading time, and usage of cognitive capacity were measured. There was greater recall when the target was important. The selective-attention hypothesis was not supported. (Author/GDC)

Two experiments demonstrated that third and sixth graders consistently selected certain strategies for solving old and new, empirical and value, contradictory information. Subjects were 320 children. (MP)

A visual search task was used to investigate the development of word processing skills used in reading meaningful text, and to evaluate the relative difficulty of employing different types of units. Subjects were 20 second graders, 19 fourth graders, and 20 college students. (MP)

Provides a literature review of research done in recent years to identify comprehension processes within the reader. (TJ)

Charts the process by which, over some 10 years, one reader came to read a particular text "with full understanding." Indicates how crucial in that process were the complex, interacting influences of other, simpler literary texts, of the reader's own life experience, and (paradoxically) of "family" experience not consciously…

Studied the cognitive equivalence of computerized and paper-and-pencil reading comprehension tests using verbal protocol analysis. Results for 48 college students indicate that the only significant difference between the computerized and paper-and-pencil tests was in the frequency of identifying important information in the passage. (SLD)

Extends a previous study examining the relationship between reading comprehension and thinking skills by using an "on-line" reporting procedure in which undergraduate subjects reported on their reading during the process of reading. Reports that the extent of a reader's background knowledge affects the order of processing as well as the kinds of…

Examines the usefulness of the Salience Imbalance Theory of metaphor processing to aid in understanding how children comprehend metaphors in written text. Supports the prediction that the measure of salience of features is affected by the topic order and vehicle (asymmetry), but also reports children's responses not explained by the theory. (KEH)

Reviews the research on how readers or listeners construct mental models of the situation a writer or speaker is describing. Narrative components and spatial models are discussed. (YP)

The study found that college students with learning disabilities (LD) were as able as nondisabled students to use story grammar and comparison text structure to aid recall of social studies text passages. However, LD students scored significantly lower on use of causation text structure. Results suggest that use of comparison structures precede…

The relationship between lower-level verbal processing skills and foreign language reading proficiency was investigated with U.S. college students learning Japanese. Focus was on the specific effects of letter identification and word recognition. Findings suggest that efficient lower-level verbal processing operations are essential in foreign…

Three experiments involving 85 learning-disabled (LD) children and 101 non-LD children investigated whether memory difficulties of LD children may be attributable in part to executive processing. Results suggest that LD readers may suffer from executive processing deficiencies, although they do not rule out effects of language-specific processes.…

Investigated the online processing strategies used by a sample of nonnative speakers of English who were asked to give the meanings of selected common idioms presented in a written context. Data were gathered using a think-aloud procedure; participants were asked to verbalize their thoughts as they arrived at the meaning of the idioms. (Author/VWL)