Lorch, R. F., Lorch, E. P., & Inman, W. E. (1993). Effects of signaling topic structure on text recall. Journal of Educational Psychology, 85(2), 281-290.

Lorch, R.; Lorch, E.; Inman, W.

1993

Lorch, R. F., Lorch, E. P., & Inman, W. E. (1993). Effects of signaling topic structure on text recall. Journal of Educational Psychology, 85(2), 281-290.

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Two experiments studied effects of signaling devices (headings, overviews, and summaries) on text memory. In Exp 1, Ss read a text with or without signals, then recalled the topics of the text. Signaling produced better memory for the topics and their organization. In Exp 2, Ss recalled the content of the text they read, and recalls were scored for the number of accurately recalled ideas. Signals produced recalls that were better organized by text topics. Signals also influenced the distribution of recall of ideas: Ss remembered more topics but recalled less about each accessed topic if the text they read contained signals than if it did not. The results are interpreted as supporting a model in which signals influence readers' representations of a text's topic structure, which, in turn, is used to guide the recall of text content.

The results clearly indicate that signals aid readers in constructing a representation of the topic structure of a text. Readers who are presented a signaled text recall more text topics and demonstrate better memory for the organization of topics. These findings are consistent with previous demonstrations that various signaling devices facilitate memory for those aspects of a text they emphasize. Text length did influence the magnitude of the signaling effect on topic recall: the signaling effect was larger for shorter texts.

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