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This study examined how altering text and graphics of a nutrition brochure could affect the ability to remember the content of the message. Two theoretical models were used to guide alterations: dual-coding theory and the communications model. Three brochure formats were tested: the original brochure containing abstract text and abstract graphics, a modified brochure with relatively concrete text and abstract graphics, and a relatively concrete text brochure with concrete graphics. Participants (N= 239 women) were divided into four age groups: 20-30, 40-50, 60-70 and over 70 years. Women were randomly assigned into each of the three experimental brochure formats or ...

Purpose: Studies have documented that the majority of consent documents for medical diagnosis and treatment are written at a reading level above that of the majority of the U.S. population. This study hypothesized that use of an easy-to-read consent statement, when compared with a standard consent statement, will result in higher patient comprehension of the clinical treatment protocol, lower patient anxiety, higher patient satisfaction, and higher patient accrual. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted in 44 institutions that were members or affiliates of three cooperative oncology groups. Institutions were randomly assigned to administer either an easy-to-read consent statement or ...

In hypertexts, previews can be used as local tools for navigation. They pop up when a link is activated and provide information about the linked page. In an experimental study with 50 participants the effect of previews on searching and knowledge acquisition was investigated. The participants had to explore a hypertext with the aim either to understand as much as they could or to search for information. Previews enhanced knowledge acquisition in both conditions and supported intentional and incidental learning. In the searching condition previews were used for link selection, even if they could not enhance the search results. ...

There are numerous guides on Web design but for the most part, these are based on designers' intuition and common sense' with little theoretical or experimental validation. A major problem is that there is a general lack of cognitive guidelines for Web design. Of the few available theoretical guidelines for designing hypermedia documents, very little experimental research is available that tests the guidelines in a Web context. This study empirically addresses the issue: do home pages designed according to theoretical guidelines lead to better comprehension of information at a Web site? Comprehension was measured along three dimensions: comprehension accuracy, comprehension ...

We used a randomized trial to compare two polio vaccine pamphlets written on a sixth grade level - the vaccine information statement prepared by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and an easy-to-read pamphlet we developed (LSU) - for reading ability, comprehension and preference among 610 parents with a broad range of demographic characteristics. Parents at all reading levels and incomes preferred LSU (76% vs. 21%, P < 0.001). Although readers of LSU achieved significantly higher comprehension (65% vs. 60%, P < 0.05) this difference may not be clinically significant. The information items presented with instructional graphics were the only ...

Hypertext allows students to select information for study accordingto their individual needs. This flexibility potentiallyincreases study efficiency, but may consequently decreasebreadth of learning. The current research examined thistrade-off for hypertext segmented either into many smallunits (more segmented) or fewer larger units (less segmented).It compared study strategies and text recall with a moreandless-segmented hypertext when (a) the more specificunits of the more-segmented hypertext facilitated informationlocation for the study goal, and (b) the location of goalrelatedinformation was equally apparent with both hypertexts.Readers with a more-segmented hypertext focused ongoal-related content, resulting in detailed memory for goalunits but narrower overall recall. Readers with a ...

Sentence reading time was measured while subjects followed a set of multistep directions for operating an unfamiliar electronic device. Sentences were read faster when action information (e.g., Turn the left knob) came first and condition information (e.g., The alpha meter should read 20?) came second. This effect was observed when the condition information was an antecedent or a consequent of the action, when the action was in the main or subordinate clause, and when the action was performed immediately or from memory. This robust result suggests that procedural directions are organized internally around the actions to be performed, and that ...

Sentence reading time was measured while subjects followed a set of multistep directions for operating an unfamiliar electronic device. Sentences were read faster when action information (e.g., Turn the left knob) came first and condition information (e.g., The alpha meter should read 20) came second. This effect was observed when the condition information was an antecedent or a consequent of the action, when the action was in the main or subordinate clause, and when the action was performed immediately or from memory. This robust result suggests that procedural directions are organized internally around the actions to be performed, and that ...

Sentence reading time was measured while subjects followed a set of multistep directions for operating an unfamiliar ?electronic device.? Sentences were read faster when action information (e.g., ?Turn the left knob?) came first and condition information (e.g., ?The alpha meter should read 20?) came second. This effect was observed when the condition information was an antecedent or a consequent of the action, when the action was in the main or subordinate clause, and when the action was performed immediately or from memory. This robust result suggests that procedural directions are organized internally around the actions to be performed, and that ...

Procedural directions are read faster when general organizational information is found at the beginning rather than at the end of the directions. Two possible explanations for this effect are investigated in the present research. In the guessing account, readers need extra time to guess the relationships of component steps when the organizational information is not found at the beginning. In the buffering account, readers buffer the component step information until the organizational information is found, and only then incorporate the component steps into their mental representation. The two accounts were tested by measuring reading time separately for organizational and component ...