Virginia A. Diehl

Reading Procedural Texts: Effects of Purpose for Reading and Predictions of Reading Comprehension Models.

This experiment tested the effect that purpose for reading or instructional set has on reading rates, recall, and task performance for procedural text. It also tested whether comprehension models proposed by Kintsch and van Dijk (1978) and Trabasso and Sperry (1985) are predictive of text processing for procedural text. Forty‐eight college students read text for one of two purposes: (a) to perform the task described by the text (Read‐to‐Do), or (b) to recall the text (Read‐to‐Recall). Participants read one of two procedural texts for two reading trials. The results showed that, as predicted, Read‐to‐Do participants performed the task better and Read‐to‐Recall participants recalled the text better. In addition, Read‐to‐Do participants recalled less of the information judged to be less important for performing the task than Read‐to‐Recall participants. Reading rate varied as a function of high and low importance of the information to task performance and varied more for the Read‐to‐Do participants than for ...

The effects of interaction with the device described by procedural text on recall, true/false, and task performance

In two experiments, subjects interacted to different extents with relevant devices while reading two complex multistep procedural texts and were then tested with task performance time, true/false, and recall measures. While reading, subjects performed the task (read and do), saw the experimenter perform the task (read and see experimenter do), imagined doing the task (read and imagine), looked at the device while reading (read and see), or only read (read only). Van Dijk and Kintsch’s (1983) text representation theory led to the prediction that exposure to the task device (in the read-and-do, read-and-see, and read-and-see-experimenter-do conditions) would lead to the development of a stronger situation model and therefore faster task performance, whereas the read-only and read-andsee conditions would lead to a better textbase, and therefore better performance on the true/false and recall tasks. Paivio’s (1991) dual coding theory led to the opposite prediction for recall. The results supported the text representation theory with task performance and recall. The read-and-see condition produced consistently good performance on the true/false measure. Amount of text study time contributed to recall performance. These findings support the notion that information available while reading leads to differential development of representations in memory, which, in turn, causes differences in performance on various measures.

Procedural text: Predictions of importance ratings and recall by models of reading comprehension

Two models of text comprehension, a referential model proposed by Kintsch and van Dijk (1978) and a causal model proposed by Trabasso and Sperry (1985), were tested in two experiments with eight procedural texts. In Experiment 1, 24 female college students rated the importance of propositions, idea units, and sentences to the overall procedure described in the texts on a 7‐point scale. In Experiment 2, 16 female college students recalled each of the eight texts immediately after reading it. Predictors derived from the models were used to predict the ratings and the recall in multiple regression analyses. The results showed that the amount of variance accounted for by the predictors varied from text to text. For the ratings, the causal model accounted for significantly more variance than the referential model. For the recall, the causal model generally accounted for more variance but the difference was not significant. For the referential model, level within the hierarchy accounted for the most variance an...

Elaborated Metaphors Support Viable Inferences about Difficult Science Concepts.

Instructional metaphors scaffold learning better when accompanied by an elaboration. Applying structure mapping theory, we developed and used an elaborated instructional metaphor (text and illustrations) for introductory chemistry concepts. In two studies (N 1 = 44, N 2 = 57), college students with little chemistry background read either the elaborated metaphor, sub‐concept metaphor statements (e.g. an atom is like a tile) only or (Study 2) sub‐concept labels (e.g. atom) only. When asked to write what they knew about the sub‐concept, those in the elaborated metaphor condition wrote more sophisticated domain inferences than those in the other condition(s), p < .05. The elaborated metaphor helped participants construct accurate pre‐conceptual mental models that could prepare them for future learning (i.e. acquisition of new knowledge). The results also suggested that acquisition of high‐level concepts may require active learner transactions with the analogue, as can be had in interactive instructional game worlds.

The role of short-term memory in semantic priming.

Abstract Two theories of priming were compared: spreading activation theories, in particular ACT* (J. R. Anderson, 1983), and compound-cue theories (R. Ratcliff & G. McKoon, 1988). Whereas ACT* assumes that priming is a result of diffusing activation in long-term memory, compound-cue models suggest that priming results from a formation process of prime and target in short-term memory. Thirty-eight participants took part in a study that combined a digit span task with a double lexical decision task consisting of a prime and a target item. Digit span length (low, medium, and high) and prime type (related or unrelated word or nonword) were both within-subject variables. As expected, results showed significant priming effects. In favor of ACT*, no interaction between digit span length and prime type was found. Additionally, a nonword inhibition effect (unrelated versus nonword prime) was found, which was predicted by compound-cue theories. This finding is discussed in terms of the process interference and response competition hypotheses.

Procedural Text Structure and Reader Perceptions and Performance

Abstract This research tested the relationship between text structural variables (on vs. off the causal chain, active vs. static information, and hierarchical structure) and reader perceptions, reading time, and true-false performance for procedural texts. Twenty-four college-age participants each read 3 procedural texts. As predicted, sentences that were (a) on the causal chain, (b) active, and (c) associated with task steps were read more slowly and judged to be more important (p < .05). The results were similar to those previously found with narratives, except for the hierarchical structure variable. Also as predicted, text differences were found such that as the variation in the type of information contained in the text increased, relationships with the structural variables increased.

Access to affordances, development of situation models, and identification of procedural text problems

This experiment tested the effect of access to an objects affordances on the development of an accurate situation model of procedural texts. The 40 participants read two sets of instructions while either doing the task or only reading the text. They then rated each sentence in terms of its difficulty and the type(s) of problem(s) it had (if any), and told how they would fix the problem(s). As predicted, participants who did the task tended to notice improperly ordered sentences, whereas those who only read the text (without seeing the device) tended to focus on grammatical problems. The results were consistent with the indexical hypothesis of Glenberg and Robertson (Glenberg, 1999).

The Relationships Between Need for Cognition, Boredom Proneness, Task Engagement, and Test Performance

Participants read a procedural text describing how to make a wind-up spool toy while only reading, reading and watching the experimenter do the task, or reading and doing the task themselves. Afterward, task performance (measured by time to complete the task without the instructions and number of errors) and memory for/understanding of the text (measured with a Multiple Choice Test) were assessed. Participants then completed a packet that included the Need for Cognition and Boredom Proneness scales. Task performance was better under the Read & Do and Read & Watch conditions, indicating that those participants were more engaged in the task than Read Only. Need for Cognition was positively related to Multiple Choice Test score (after controlling for boredom proneness and task experience) only under the Read & Do conditions (and marginally for Read & Watch). This suggests that level of task engagement may moderate the relationship between need for cognition and test performance. The Boredom Proneness subscales of Perception of Time and Affective Responses were negatively related to need for cognition.