Kintsch, W., & Yarbrough, J. C. (1982). Role of rhetorical structure in text comprehension. Journal of Educational Psychology, 74(6), 828-834.

Kintsch, W.; Yarbrough, J.

1982

Kintsch, W., & Yarbrough, J. C. (1982). Role of rhetorical structure in text comprehension. Journal of Educational Psychology, 74(6), 828-834.

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In 2 experiments, 72 university students read 10 essays that were written in either good or bad rhetorical form. In their good form, the essays closely followed familiar rhetorical schemata (such as definition and procedural description) with explicit cues to alert readers to their structure. In the bad form, these cues were deleted, and the actual order of paragraphs deviated from the ideal rhetorical form. The content, however, remained the same for both forms of a text. Performance differed, depending on whether tests were used that evaluated macro- or microprocesses (global or local comprehension). Ss were much better able to answer questions concerning the topic and main points of the texts after reading the good versions than after reading the poor versions. However, performance on a cloze test was identical for the 2 versions. This disassociation of macro- and microprocesses in comprehension has important implications for comprehension testing. The role of comprehension strategies involving rhetorical cues is discussed.

Rhetorical form strongly affected the subjects' ability to answer topic and main idea questions. Ss were much better able to answer questions concerning the topic and main points of the texts after reading the good versions than after reading the poor versions. However, performance on a cloze test was identical for the 2 versions.

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