scholarly journals Defining the Role of Prior Knowledge and Vocabulary in Reading Comprehension: The Retiring of Number 41

1991 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 487-508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven A. Stahl ◽  
Victoria Chou Hare ◽  
Richard Sinatra ◽  
James F. Gregory
Keyword(s):  
Prior Knowledge ◽  
Domain Knowledge ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Word Meanings ◽  
General Domain ◽  
Tenth Graders ◽  
Topic Knowledge ◽  
High Knowledge ◽  
Independent Effects

Although both prior topic knowledge and vocabulary knowledge have been known to affect comprehension in general, less is known about the specifics of the interactions between these factors. Using a magazine article about a ceremony marking the retirement of a baseball player's jersey number, this study examines the effects of knowledge of baseball in general and of the career of Tom Seaver in specific and of knowledge of word meanings in general and of words used in the passage specifically on tenth graders' recall of different aspects of passage content. Vocabulary knowledge tended to affect the number of units recalled overall; prior knowledge influenced which units were recalled. Prior topic knowledge influenced whether subjects produced a gist statement in their recall and how well they recalled numbers relevant to Seaver's career. High knowledge subjects also tended to focus more on information given about his career than low knowledge subjects. Specific and general domain knowledge were so closely related that their effects could not be disentangled. A qualitative analysis of the protocols confirmed the general trends in the quantitative analysis. Results suggest both that domain knowledge and vocabulary have independent effects on comprehension and that these effects are on what is comprehended as well as how much is comprehended.

Baseball fans don’t like lumpy batters: Influence of domain knowledge on the access of subordinate meanings

2018 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Wiley ◽  
Tim George ◽  
Keith Rayner
Keyword(s):  
Prior Knowledge ◽  
Lexical Access ◽  
Domain Knowledge ◽  
Negative Evidence ◽  
Word Meanings ◽  
Positive Evidence ◽  
Ambiguous Words ◽  
Baseball Fans ◽  
Evidence Condition ◽  
Access Model

Two experiments investigated the effects of domain knowledge on the resolution of ambiguous words with dominant meanings related to baseball. When placed in a sentence context that strongly biased toward the non-baseball meaning (positive evidence), or excluded the baseball meaning (negative evidence), baseball experts had more difficulty than non-experts resolving the ambiguity. Sentence contexts containing positive evidence supported earlier resolution than did the negative evidence condition for both experts and non-experts. These experiments extend prior findings, and can be seen as support for the reordered access model of lexical access, where both prior knowledge and discourse context influence the availability of word meanings.

scholarly journals How Text Presentation and Financial Literacy Affect Pension Communication Success

2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-163
Author(s):  
Louise Nell ◽  
Leo Lentz ◽  
Henk Pander Maat
Keyword(s):  
Prior Knowledge ◽  
Financial Literacy ◽  
Domain Knowledge ◽  
Linear Structure ◽  
Reading Skill ◽  
Language Skill ◽  
Topic Knowledge ◽  
Text Presentation

This study examined the effects of (a) text presentation and (b) prior knowledge and language skill on finding information in financial documents. First, the participants filled out tests that measured their levels of vocabulary, reading skill, domain knowledge, and topic knowledge. Subsequently, they read an on-screen text on pension information in either a linear structure (“nonlayered”) or a hypertext structure (“layered”). Readers’ performance was measured by verbal scenario questions. No difference was found for text presentation. Language skill and domain knowledge were both important predictors for finding, whereas topic knowledge was not associated with readers’ performance at all. When differentiating between text presentation conditions, we found that domain knowledge only plays a role in the nonlayered condition, not in the layered condition. These results indicate that the set of skills needed to successfully read a document varies with both type of task and type of reading, confirming prior research.

Reinvigorating the Concept of a Situation in Situational Judgment Tests

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas A. Brown ◽  
Ashley Bell Jones ◽  
David G. Serfass ◽  
Ryne A. Sherman
Keyword(s):  
Predictive Validity ◽  
Domain Knowledge ◽  
Predictive Power ◽  
Personality Measures ◽  
Situational Judgment ◽  
Situational Judgment Tests ◽  
General Domain ◽  
Per Se

What is the role of the situation in situational judgment tests (SJTs)? Lievens and Motowidlo (2016) assert that SJTs are somewhat of a misnomer because they do not actually measure how individuals would behave in a given situation per se. According to these researchers, SJTs assess general domain knowledge—whether potential employees recognize the “utility of expressing certain traits” (p. 4). As a result, SJTs map onto personality measures, which are a summary of behavior across time and situations. SJTs provide predictive validity in part because they tap into personality. However, rather than renaming SJTs, it is possible to reintroduce the concept of a situation to provide even greater predictive power. Thus, the goals of this commentary are to (a) clarify what constitutes a situation, (b) describe what SJTs might actually measure, and (c) set forth a path for a taxonomy of workplace situations.

Inferences and Confidence in Warning Texts: The Role of Age and Prior Knowledge

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne E. Adams ◽  
Wendy A. Rogers ◽  
Arthur D. Fisk
Keyword(s):  
Prior Knowledge

Reducing misperceptions through news stories with data visualization: The role of readers’ prior knowledge and prior beliefs

Journalism ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 146488492110287
Author(s):  
Paul Mena
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Design ◽  
Prior Knowledge ◽  
Data Visualization ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Graphical Representations ◽  
Prior Beliefs ◽  
News Stories ◽  
Issue Involvement

Amid the global discussion on ways to fight misinformation, journalists have been writing stories with graphical representations of data to expose misperceptions and provide readers with more accurate information. Employing an experimental design, this study explored to what extent news stories correcting misperceptions are effective in reducing them when the stories include data visualization and how influential readers’ prior beliefs, issue involvement and prior knowledge may be in that context. The study found that the presence of data visualization in news articles correcting misperceptions significantly enhanced the reduction of misperceptions among news readers with less than average prior knowledge about an issue. In addition, it was found that prior beliefs had a significant effect on news readers’ misperceptions regardless of the presence or absence of data visualization. In this way, this research offers some support for the notion that data visualization may be useful to decrease misperceptions under certain circumstances.

Locking down behavioural compliance: The role of emotion and emotion regulation in breaches of COVID-19 mitigation measures in Aotearoa New Zealand

2021 ◽  
pp. 135910532110299
Author(s):  
Terise Broodryk ◽  
Kealagh Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Health Behaviours ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Aotearoa New Zealand ◽  
High Knowledge ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Insight Into

Although anxiety and worry can motivate engagement with COVID-19 preventative behaviours, people may cognitively reframe these unpleasant emotions, restoring wellbeing at the cost of public health behaviours. New Zealand young adults ( n = 278) experiencing nationwide COVID-19 lockdown reported their worry, anxiety, reappraisal and lockdown compliance. Despite high knowledge of lockdown policies, 92.5% of participants reported one or more policy breaches ( M  = 2.74, SD = 1.86). Counter to predictions, no relationships were found between anxiety or worry with reappraisal or lockdown breaches. Findings highlight the importance of targeting young adults in promoting lockdown compliance and offer further insight into the role of emotion during a pandemic.

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