In three experiments we examined whether reader perspective on a long expository text could be manipulated such that increased text interest and enhancement of two comprehension outcomes would result. In Experiment 1 we verified the viability of a new text for experimental purposes. We then assigned readers a perspective before reading in…

Two questions regarding signals' influence on memory were examined. First, the relationship between headings and text was manipulated to determine whether headings serve as visual cues, directing readers to recall all subsequent information, or content-specific cues, directing readers to recall only to certain information. Second, distance between…

Experiment examined the effects of summary type and the alteration of roles within a cooperative scenario on the amount and accuracy of information recalled. (RB)

This study examined how seductive details affect on-line processing of a technical, scientific text. In Experiment 1, each sentence from the experimental text was rated for interest and importance. Participants rated seductive details as being more interesting but less important than main ideas. In Experiment 2, we examined the effect of seductive…

Adolescents with learning disabilities (n=117) participated in 3 studies examining the effectiveness of elaborative interrogation for improving recall and comprehension. Elaborative interrogation had a large effect on recall with isolated facts, but differential effects were noted for recognition and comprehension of paragraph-length materials as…

College students with either high or low prior domain knowledge (PK) read a text chapter presented in short pages on a computer monitor. Half of the participants read with headings present and half with headings absent. The computer recorded time spent reading and rereading each short page. Learning was assessed through a structured recall task.…

Research has indicated that the keyword method of vocabulary learning facilitates students' performance on comprehension-demanding tasks as well as test of definition recall. When conditions and undergraduate subjects within conditions were equated with respect to their initial levels of definition recall, the comprehension advantage of keyword…

The number of facts college students correctly recalled was not affected by whether they were provided goals which did or did not encourage them to reorganize the passage material they studied. (Author/BW)

This study examined the utility of intact and embedded headings as processing aids with nonnarrative text. College students provided with text containing intact and embedded headings outperformed students whose text did not contain these processing aids, especially at delayed testing. Implications of these results and future research issues are…

This article examines the research on different levels of questions inserted in prose. The first section defines the level of questions and presents a number of theoretical issues. The second section discusses methodological issues in research, such as inadequate directions to subjects. The final section provides recommendations for further…

The distinction between remembering text information and applying the acquired knowledge (making inferences) was studied with a dissociation paradigm, using 110 undergraduates who performed verification and recognition tasks. The same variables did not affect performance on the two tasks. Text organization affected recognition but not verification…

This study compared the effectiveness of techniques for teaching cognitive learning strategies. Training was found superior to simple instructions with: (1) the method of loci for serial recall learning; and (2) short-answer test on easy reading material, but not with difficult readings or multiple-choice tests. (Author/RD)

Structural learning aids, such as interactive overviews (IOs), have previously been shown to facilitate text comprehension and recall. In this study, we examined the effects of structural aids on learners' structural knowledge and their performance on a procedural transfer task. In Experiment 1, 90 college students were presented definitions of…

Context orientation and depth of processing were tested as possible explanations for thematic organization. The process of searching for the theme of prose passages was detrimental to recall. Theme statements facilitated recall when provided prior to each passage. The theme search process was beneficial only when the correct theme was identified.…

This paper proposes a reading model based on the metaphorical usage of neurobiological knowledge. The basic units, organization, and functioning of the Nurogen Model are described. The model's empirical scope is discussed focusing on letter and word perception, theme effects in comprehension, and the influences of text characteristics upon…