Norberg, Kole
(2020)
Under the influence of connectives:
How connective location and clause order interact in online processing and retention of text.
Master's Thesis, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
This is the latest version of this item.
Abstract
I investigated the effect of cohesiveness on reading strategies and retention of causal relationships and details within a text. Participants read brief expository texts while their eye movements were tracked. I manipulated the cohesiveness of each text by varying the location or presence of a causal connectives (e.g., because, so) within a sentence and the order in which the clauses were presented (forward versus backward causal structure). Prior literature has found cohesive text can contribute to declines in elaborative processing and lead to lower retention; however, I found the opposite pattern: Causal relationships and text details were more likely to be remembered as cohesion increased. Further, the online reading results converged to suggest (a) when a connective is present at the beginning of a sentence, readers will employ strategies to put off processing of an effect clause until they access the causal information, (b) readers pay particular attention to causes, suggesting integration of causal relationships requires more attention to the cause than to the effect, and (c) readers do not differentiate between forward and backward causal structures when a connective is absent. Altogether, I did not find evidence that reading strategies related to elaboration and integration diminished when a connective was present. Instead, I found only that reading times increased when a connective was absent. The increased reading times when a connective was absent may reflect more extensive elaboration, but elaboration is not absent when a connective is present, only constrained. The results support a view in which connectives influence reading strategies and facilitate a correct and sustained understanding of text.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
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| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
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| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
8 June 2020 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
12 December 2019 |
| Approval Date: |
8 June 2020 |
| Submission Date: |
17 December 2019 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
152 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > Psychology |
| Degree: |
MS - Master of Science |
| Thesis Type: |
Master's Thesis |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
reading, integration, language, memory, text |
| Date Deposited: |
08 Jun 2020 15:25 |
| Last Modified: |
08 Jun 2020 15:25 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/38254 |
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Under the influence of connectives:
How connective location and clause order interact in online processing and retention of text. (deposited 08 Jun 2020 15:25)
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