Compensating for low working memory capacity with mature ideas about knowledge
Subtitle: an on-line investigation of the effects of text factors and reader characteristics on comprehension.
Published: 2005
Language: eng
Number of pages: 49
Description: The purpose of this study was to replicate and extend upon an investigation by Kaakinen, Hyona, & Keenan (2003) which examined how characteristics of the text and the reader, as well as the goals of a reading task, combine to influence reading comprehension. The present study corroborated the importance of reading perspective and text familiarity on recall, and was reflected in readers' on-line eye fixation measures. However, contrary to Kaakinen, et al., the reading perspective taken by the reader was equally strong across all texts and all readers. In addition, results indicate that a reader's awareness of the complex structure of knowledge is able to compensate for low working memory capacity. Results indicate that the improved recall of low span readers with mature epistemic beliefs relative to their low span counterparts with naive epistemic beliefs is a result of the increased time spent rereading both task-relevant and unfamiliar information.
Notes: Thesis (M.A.)--University of Toronto, 2005.

Electronic version licensed for access by U. of T. users.

Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 44-01, page: 0562.

ROBARTS MICROTEXT copy on microfiche (1 microfiche).