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Investigating differences in general comprehension skill.

M A Gernsbacher1, K R Varner, M E Faust

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene 97403-1227.

Journal of Experimental Psychology. Learning, Memory, and Cognition
|May 1, 1990
PubMed
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General comprehension skill extends beyond language, linking written and spoken language abilities to understanding nonverbal information like picture stories. Poorer comprehension may stem from issues accessing recent information and managing mental representations.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Linguistics

Background:

  • Adults' written and spoken language comprehension skills are highly correlated.
  • The extent of this general comprehension skill beyond language-based modalities is unclear.
  • Identifying cognitive mechanisms behind individual differences in comprehension is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if general comprehension skill extends to nonverbal modalities.
  • To investigate the cognitive processes and mechanisms underlying individual differences in comprehension skill.

Main Methods:

  • Experiment 1: Correlated comprehension of written, auditory, and nonverbal (picture) stories.
  • Experiment 2: Assessed access to recently comprehended information.
  • Experiments 3 & 4: Examined mental substructure development and irrelevant information suppression during comprehension.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Comprehension of written and auditory stories strongly correlated with nonverbal (picture) story comprehension.
  • Less proficient comprehenders showed poorer access to recently comprehended information.
  • Less skilled comprehenders developed excessive mental substructures and inefficiently suppressed irrelevant information.

Conclusions:

  • General comprehension skill transcends language, encompassing nonverbal information processing.
  • Individual differences in comprehension are linked to cognitive mechanisms like information access, mental representation management, and attention control.
  • Understanding these mechanisms offers insights into cognitive processing and individual variations in comprehension ability.