Reading a week later: Perceptual and conceptual factors

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Abstract

Two experiments were carried out to assess the contributions of general and specific perceptual and conceptual information in the rereading of text passages printed in geometrically transformed typographies. Kolers (1976. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Learning and Memory, 2, 554–565) showed that passages read 13–15 months previously in transformed typography were reread faster than new passages; he attributed this facilitation to the retention of specific pattern-analyzing operations. It is also possible, however, that the facilitation was associated with the retention of conceptual or lexical information. Using a more complete design, the present experiments found no evidence for the retention of specific perceptual information after one week, although there was strong evidence for the retention of gist and for transfer of both a general pattern-analyzing skill and of specific lexical information.

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    The experiments reported were funded by a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada to the second author.

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