Exploring Encoding and Retrieval Effects of Background Information on Text Memory

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted (a) to evaluate how providing background information at test may benefit retrieval and (b) to further examine how providing background information prior to study influences encoding. Half of the participants read background information prior to study, and the other half did not. In each group, half were presented with background information at test. Background information at test improved recall for those who did not read information prior to study. Results from Experiment 2 suggested that this improvement was due to background information providing content cues to retrieve specific ideas from the text rather than topic cues to support top-down recall. Concerning encoding effects, secondary measures and construction-integration modeling of free recall support the hypothesis that background information presented prior to study influences the effectiveness of organizational processing during encoding.In many educational and professional training environments, instruction within a domain often begins with the presentation of background information. In general, background information involves the presentation of material prior to study of the to-be-learned content that provides information related to but not necessarily contained within that content. For example, background information may explicitly state new facts or ideas relevant to the text content (e.g., informational outlines, definitions, or instructed theories). Some forms of background information may support the activation of a reader's prior knowledge relevant to the text content (e.g., thematic titles, reading perspectives, or advanced organizers that provide DISCOURSE PROCESSES, 38(3),

Acquiring science and social studies knowledge in kindergarten through fourth grade: Conceptualization, design, implementation, and efficacy testing of content-area literacy instruction (CALI).

“…Quality refers to the correctness of students' background knowledge, which has been shown to influence the amount of understanding gained from text (Diakidoy & Kendeou, 2001). Moreover, gains in comprehension abilities have been found for students who have received explicit classroom instruction in content-area knowledge (Rawson & Kintsch, 2002; Rawson & Kintsch, 2004). …”

The Effect of Schematic Knowledge on Iranian EFL Learner’s Reading Comprehension

“…The data found in this study is in line with those of Carrel's study (1987) in which the results indicated that learners' comprehension and recall increased if they had familiarity with passages they read . In another study, Rawson and Kintsch (2004) concluded that providing readers with prior knowledge before reading improves comprehension. In general, if students have sufficient "prior knowledge" on the specific subject, any teaching approach will do for students' learning.…”

Differently structured advance organizers lead to different initial schemata and learning outcomes

“…The theoretical background is to consider prior knowledge as nodes in long-term memory, activated by related information (e.g. Rawson and Kintsch 2004). Second, it can be assumed that specific concepts, being stored in long term memory, can be activated intentionally before the main learning phase or lecture.…”