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Seventy-two students studied a 3,000-word prose passage about Greece for a fixed period of time. There were two experimental groups: one was required to guess answers to 15 prequestions, and another just to read the prequestions. Of two control groups, one was allowed as much extra time for studying as the experimental groups were given to deal with the prequestions. Prequestion groups showed significantly better 7-day retention of question-relevant prose content than both control groups, but significantly inferior delayed retention of question-irrelevant information than the Extended Reading Time control group. On immediate retention this control group performed significantly better than the No Guess group. Recognition of prequestions after the posttest was higher for the Guess group, and was related to the correctness of answers on the pretest and on the posttest. Some implications of these results are discussed.

Seventy-one fourth graders read an adapted version of a "Rupert Bear" story. In the experimental condition (text with illustrations), pictures and text occasionally provided more or less contradictory information. At retention testing (immediately, after a day, or after a week), the experimental condition produced higher scores than the control (text without illustrations) for questions concerning exclusively pictorial information and for questions concerning correctly illustrated text contents. For questions concerning incongruously presented information, the experimental subjects selected more multiple-choice alternatives representing picture input, while controls preferred alternatives representing textual input. No differences were found for questions covering unillustrated text contents. Neither reading time nor imagery ability were related to retention.

Sixty-eight fifth graders studied a 125-word passage consisting of 18 statements on a fictional fox, and after reading, they tried to reproduce the text. One week later they all took a multiple-choice test. Prior to reading, half the children mobilized relevant preexisting knowledge. The results indicated that mobilizing significantly facilitated retention of information inconsistent with prior knowledge but did not affect retention of congruous information. A topically organized passage was not better remembered than a topically disorganized one. The results were discussed in reference to assimilation encoding theory and in reference to the failure of students to relate discourse to prior knowledge.

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