The preferences of a group of 35 randomly selected undergraduate and graduate students for different text density on computer screens were examined in this study. The displays, which ranged from 53% to 22% density, were generated using the Apple IIe microcomputer. Students were shown a pair of screens of different densities and asked which screen…

This paper proposes a systematic method of measuring subjects' free recall from printed hard news stories, based on schema theories of cognition. Citing literature that demonstrates the role of text structures and text schemas in the recall of written text, the paper suggests incorporating these processes into the assessment of recall of news. In…