Effective Technical Communications Copy Preparation and Reproduction. Experiment II.
Abstract
The effects of three variables in the copy preparation and reproduction of a written technical message upon the effectiveness of the message were tested on five definably different audiences in a 2x2x2 factorial experiment. The message was a 2563-word passage describing a simple mechanical device and containing nine line drawings. The variables tested were margins (straight or ragged), corrections (clean or sloppy), and reproducton (clean or dirty). The effectiveness of the message was measured by a comprehension test, reading time, judgments of the author's knowledge of his subject, and judgments of the author's competence as a writer. The five audiences (total subjects-764) were drawn from the student bodies at Central State University, Sam Houston State University, the University of Dayton Technical Institute, the General Motors Institute, and the School of Engineering of the Air Force Institute of Technology. They were contrasted on the basis of age, intelligence, technical inclination, and experience in the use of written technical communications. (Modified author abstract)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 1974
- Accession Number
- AD0776786
Entities
People
- Richard M. Davis
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology