A Multidimensional Investigation of Deep-level and Surface-level Processing

• Published in: The Journal of experimental education Vol. 84; no. 2; pp. 213 - 244
• Main Authors: Dinsmore, Daniel L., Alexander, Patricia A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington Routledge 02.04.2016; Taylor & Francis Inc
• Subjects: Ability tests; Cognitive Processes; College students; Context Effect; deep- and surface-level processing; expository text; Expository Writing; Influences; Information processing; Knowledge; Knowledge Level; open-ended task; Persuasion; Persuasive Discourse; persuasive text; Protocol Analysis; Reading comprehension; Recall; Recall (Psychology); strategies; Undergraduate Students; United States (Mid Atlantic States)
• ISSN: 0022-0973; 1940-0683
• DOI: 10.1080/00220973.2014.979126

This study examines the moderating effects of a situational factor (i.e., text type) and an individual factor (i.e., subject-matter knowledge) on the relation between depth of processing and performance. One-hundred and fifty-one undergraduates completed measures of subject-matter knowledge, read either an expository or persuasive text about the existence of extraterrestrials while thinking aloud, and then completed a passage recall task and an open-ended task. Results indicated that the relation between depth of processing and the open-ended tasks was moderated by the type of text participants read (i.e., expository or persuasive). Moreover, there was a significant interaction between the passage recall measure and open-ended task for depth of processing and type of text.