ERIC Number: ED234373
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1983-May-4
Reference Count: 0
The Role of Short-Term Memory in the Comprehension of Written Text.
Current research on information processing suggests that short term memory plays a central role in the sorting and manipulation of text information during reading. Because an entire text cannot be processed simultaneously, successive "chunks" or units of information enter the short term memory where they are compared to the reader's previous experience. During the first processing cycle, one of the propositions is designated as the main idea. In succeeding cycles, information is added onto the short term memory buffer in the form of alterations to or additional support for the main idea. The coherent structure formed from these chunks of information is stored in the long term memory, and constitutes reading comprehension. As the ability to recognize key propositions is a key task in text comprehension, training in text organization skills may lead to a more directed use of the short term memory buffer and therefore to improved comprehension. (MM)
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Information Analyses; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Researchers; Teachers; Practitioners
Authoring Institution: N/A
Note: Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the International Reading Association (28th, Anaheim, CA, May 2-6, 1983).