Accession Number:

ADA188913

Title:

Text Organization and Comprehensibility in Technical Writing

Descriptive Note:

Interim rept. Aug 1986-Aug 1987

Corporate Author:

CARNEGIE-MELLON UNIV PITTSBURGH PA DEPT OF PSYCHOLOGY

Personal Author(s):

• Dee-Lucas, Diana
• Larkin, Jill H.

Report Date:

1987-10-01

Pagination or Media Count:

17.0

Abstract:

Technical texts often introduce scientific principles by deriving the principle prior to stating it. This proof-first organization violates writing guidelines suggested by current text learning theories. The current research compares the effect on comprehension of this type of structure with its logical alternative a principle first structure. Results indicate that readers spend more time with information when it occurs first. Thus, the principle-first structure focuses attention on the principle, and the proof-first structure not surprisingly focuses attention on the proof. Additionally, readers find it easier to predict what is important in principle-first texts, and used the principle-first approach more often in summarizing. These findings indicate that readers find the information in a principle-first organization easier to process and store. Ongoing research is investigating differences in what readers learn using these two structures. Keywords Text organization Comprehension Problem solving Cognition.

Descriptors:

• *COGNITION
• *COMPREHENSION
• *TECHNICAL WRITING
• INSTRUCTIONS
• LEARNING
• PROBLEM SOLVING
• STRUCTURES
• TEACHING METHODS
• TEXTBOOKS
• THEORY
• WRITING

Subject Categories:

• Linguistics
• Psychology

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE