Reading Under the Influence of Decision Making.
Abstract
Two experiments investigated how potent decision relevant information in texts affects subsequent processing of that text. University freshmen and sophomores read texts consisting of a series of facts relevant to the worth of stock in a fictitious company. In Experiment 1, fact texts were read for the explicit purpose of making a decision to purchase or not purchase stock in the company. When the potent information occurred in the middle of the text it resulted in better incidental memory for facts that were opposite to the potent facts in valence. Controls demonstrated that the better memory must have been linked to deeper processing during input as opposed to a retrieval phenomenon. Experiment 2 demonstrated that the differential processing does not occur when subjects read the text without the intention of making a decision. The results were discussed in terms of how reading for the purpose of making decisions causes readers to develop a specified schema for conflict resolution. In this model, facts that conflict with preliminary decisions are processed more thoroughly and are thus more memorable. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 1982
- Accession Number
- ADA118189
Entities
People
- Lyle E. Bourne Jr.
- Steven Antos
Organizations
- University of Colorado Boulder