Julie Lemarié

Signaling Hierarchical and Sequential Organization in Expository Text

Four experiments tested a hypothesized function of signaling devices, namely, to communicate information about text organization. Experiments 1 and 2 compared headings that communicated the hierarchical organization of text topics with headings that did not communicate the hierarchical organization. Signaling organization led to more complete and accurate outlines of a text. Experiment 3 compared headings that communicated the sequential organization of text topics with headings than did not communicate the organization. Signaling organization led to faster text search. Experiment 4 compared headings that emphasized the sequential organization of topics with headings that emphasized their hierarchical organization. In this comparison, sequential headings led to faster search times than hierarchical headings. Together, the results of the four experiments demonstrate (a) that signals can communicate two distinct types of organizational information, and (b) those two types of organization have distinct implications for text processing.

Visual signals in text comprehension: How to restore them when oralizing a text via a speech synthesis?

Abstract It has been assumed theoretically and established empirically that text signals exert an influence on text memorization and comprehension. The study investigates whether the restoration of the text visual signals improve text memorization and comprehension when automatically converting a text into speech. Participants listened to a restaurant menu oralized by a text-to-speech synthesis. The visual signals used in the menu were restored either with discursive segments, with prosodic cues, or with a picture of text, displayed before or during the listening. Participants had to perform tasks assessing their text memorization and comprehension. The restoration of text visual signals exerts an influence on the participants’ recall but these effects vary according to the restoration mean used and to the task. When visual signals are not restored, individuals construct an erroneous representation of the situation described in the text leading to a misinterpretation of the text meaning, whereas the discursive and prosodic restorations involve the construction of an adequate representation.

The segmented presentation of visually structured texts: Effects on text comprehension

The effects of a segmented presentation applied to a visually structured text were examined in the context of the explosion of small-screen devices. Empirical research investigating the influence of text signaling on text processing suggests that the text visual structure may influence comprehension by facilitating the construction of a coherent text representation. Undergraduate students were asked to read a text under different segmented conditions varying on the type of information provided about the text visual structure and on the segmentation unit. When the segmented presentation did not supply any information or when it only offered local information about the text visual structure, text comprehension depended on the segmentation unit. When the segmentation unit did not fit the text visual structure, an erroneous text representation was constructed, whereas the compatible segmentation unit led to a correct text comprehension. When the segmented presentation rendered the global text visual structure, the segmentation unit had no effect on comprehension and more readers constructed a correct and close text representation. Thus, the text visual structure seems to play a role in text comprehension and this role has to be taken into account for text segmented presentation.

Signaling topic structure via headings or preview sentences

Two experiments compared the effects on text processing of headings and preview sentences that were designed to communicate the same information about the texts’ topics and their organization. In Experiment 1, college students read a text for understanding then were tested on memory for the subtopics and memory for simple facts presented in the text. Memory for subtopics was better for the text with headings; there was no difference between headings and preview sentences on memory for facts. In Experiment 2, participants read a text in order to outline it. Outlining was better if the text contained signals to topic structure than if the text did not contain signals, but there were no reliable differences between previews and headings. The findings show that previews function similarly to headings in a task that emphasizes the relevance of topic structure information, but they do not elicit readers’ attention to topic information as readily as headings do. These results have implications for textbook design and instruction of comprehension strategies.

Improving the accessibility of digital documents for blind users: contributions of the textual architecture model

This paper presents a framework which aims at describing text formatting, based on a model coming from the field of logic and linguistics, the Textual Architecture Model [23]. The goal is to improve documents accessibility for blind users. The project will later focus on evaluating the efficiency of different navigation and content presentation strategies, based on this framework.

Learning flight procedures by enacting and receiving feedback

Learning flight procedures is part of any pilot training. The conventional learning method consists in learning and practicing the procedure written on a sheet of paper along with printed images of the cockpit. The purpose of the present paper was to test the efficiency of a tactile interactive multimedia training tool designed to foster the self-regulated learning of flight procedures, especially through enacting relevant gestures and providing feedback. Results showed that learning with this tool did not lead to significant shorter learning times than with the conventional learning. However, on a delayed retention test in a real A320 cockpit simulator, learners of the experimental group performed the procedure more rapidly than those of the control group. Results suggested that a training tool that incites learners to perform similar gestures than those in the real environment and that provides feedback, helped learners to transform declarative into procedural knowledge.

Communicating printed headings to the ear.

Abstract Two experiments compared three methods of translating printed headings into an auditory format. In both experiments, college students listened to a text with instructions to stop the recording whenever they heard a heading and type the hierarchical level and exact wording of the heading. Listeners were poor at identifying headings and their levels if the headings were not distinguished from the rest of the text. However, listeners were very good at identifying headings if any method of signalling was used to distinguish headings and communicate their hierarchical level. The methods included: (1) tones preceding headings, (2) changes of speaker to indicate headings or (3) verbal labels preceding headings. Although all three signalling methods improved identification of a heading’s hierarchical level, the labelling method was the most effective means of communicating hierarchical level. Thus, the study identifies a simple method of effectively communicating headings in spoken text. Practitioner Summary: The study attempted to identify effective ways of communicating heading information in spoken text. College students listened to texts in order to detect headings and record their wording and hierarchical level. Performance was excellent when headings were preceded by verbal phrases that signalled the upcoming headings and their levels.

READ: A (Research) Platform for Evaluating Non-visual Access Methods to Digital Documents

READ (which stands for Documents Architecture REstitution, in French), is a software allowing augmented access of tagged documents content. It was originally developed for a project aiming at evaluating informational and functional equivalents to text visual formatting and was very recently tested in a user study (results unpublished yet). The design flexibility of this platform allows an easy implementation of input and output modalities, as well as navigation functions. We wish to publish this application for noncommercial reuse in the short run; the main goal is here to easily allow researchers to evaluate non-visual access methods to documents, since current assistive technologies are known to raise multiple issues. A live demonstration of READ will enable attendees to experience the implemented output modalities and navigation functions, as well as the platform configuration and extension potential.

Communicating Text Structure to Blind People with Text-to-Speech

This paper presents the results of an experiment conducted with nine blind subjects for the evaluation of two audio restitution methods for headings, using Text-To-Speech. We used specialized audio and two voices to demarcate headings. This work is part of a research project which focuses on structural in-formation accessibility for the blind in digital documents.