To comprehend texts readers build mental representations. To establish coherence and protect these representations against inaccuracies readers routinely monitor and validate textual information... Show moreTo comprehend texts readers build mental representations. To establish coherence and protect these representations against inaccuracies readers routinely monitor and validate textual information against two main informational sources –what they just read (the text itself) and what they know (their background knowledge). This dissertation focuses on validation processes in the context of reading comprehension. Texts today vary in accuracy and trustworthiness. To better understand how readers validate (written) materials against various sources of information, the experimental studies in this dissertation employed different research methods to examine the (neuro)cognitive architecture of the processes involved in validating against prior text (i.e., text-based validation) and validating against background knowledge (i.e., knowledge-based validation) and how these processes affect readers;’ memory for text information.Results illustrate that readers validate incoming information against these two sources in dissociable, (partially) interactive, text-based and knowledge-based validation processes. Moreover, these processes seem to protect readers’ memory against inaccuracies or incongruencies. These observations deepen our understanding of validation processes, provide starting points for investigations of people’s susceptibility to false information and how inaccurate knowledge can be revised and provide insight into the complex interplay between recently acquired knowledge from the text itself and background knowledge in constructing meaning from language. Show less
The research in this dissertation represents a multifaceted approach to understanding reading comprehension processes, and employs diverse methodologies to examine both internal and external... Show moreThe research in this dissertation represents a multifaceted approach to understanding reading comprehension processes, and employs diverse methodologies to examine both internal and external factors related to reading comprehension. More specifically, the research addresses attentional control processes during reading, the influence of dopamine on both attentional control and reading comprehension (i.e., internal factors; Chapter 2 and 3), and the effects of feedback on both reading comprehension and on cognitive and affective processes related to reading comprehension (i.e., external factors; Chapter 4 and 5). Show less
The central aim of this dissertation is to gain insight into the on-line text processing and strategy use by young low- and high-comprehending readers as they read expository and narrative texts... Show moreThe central aim of this dissertation is to gain insight into the on-line text processing and strategy use by young low- and high-comprehending readers as they read expository and narrative texts for comprehension, with an additional aim to provide insight into distinct reading profiles. A second aim is to gain insight into the effect of different forms of text layout on young readers’ text comprehension and reading speed. The dissertation comprises three sections. The first section consists of a theoretical chapter about individual differences in reading comprehension (Chapter 2). The second section consists of four empirical studies in which (combinations of) different research methods were employed (Chapters 3-6). In the first study, a think-aloud protocol was used to investigate the on-line reading approach of readers and the possible existence of subgroups of readers, whereas in the second study readers’ eye movements were tracked. The third study examined whether subgroups of readers that were characterized as paraphrasers and elaborators based on the think-aloud study, were also characterized by different eye-movement patterns. The fourth study examined whether and why young beginning readers might benefit from segmented text layouts. The third section consists of a conceptual chapter in which the results and conclusions from the empirical studies are summarized and discussed in a broader context and recommendations are given for educational practice (Chapter 7). Show less
The aim of the present meta-analysis was to examine the effects of feedback on learning from text in conventional readers (ranging from primary school students to university students). Combining... Show moreThe aim of the present meta-analysis was to examine the effects of feedback on learning from text in conventional readers (ranging from primary school students to university students). Combining 104 contrasts of conditions of reading texts with and without feedback, including 6,124 participants, using the random effects model resulted in a positive effect of feedback on learning from text (g+ = 0.35). Moderator analyses showed that feedback is particularly effective if provided directly after reading, but less so when provided during reading. If feedback is provided directly after reading, elaborate feedback and knowledge-of-correct-response feedback were more effective than knowledge-of-response feedback. If feedback is provided during reading, no differences are found between the effects of different types of feedback. Additionally, computer-delivered feedback is more beneficial for learning from text than non-computer-delivered feedback. Implications for optimizing conditions to support learning from text are discussed. Show less
In haar proefschrift heeft Katinka Beker onderzoek gedaan naar de fundamentele leesprocessen die ten grondslag liggen aan leren van (meerdere) teksten. Uit een combinatie van literatuur- en... Show moreIn haar proefschrift heeft Katinka Beker onderzoek gedaan naar de fundamentele leesprocessen die ten grondslag liggen aan leren van (meerdere) teksten. Uit een combinatie van literatuur- en experimenteel onderzoek is gebleken dat het activeren van eerder gelezen informatie en achtergrondkennis tijdens het lezen belangrijk is bij het leren van teksten. Door een nieuw onderzoeksparadigma te gebruiken kon op een subtiele manier onderzocht worden of informatie uit eerder gelezen teksten of achtergrondkennis actief was tijdens het lezen van nieuwe teksten. Het paradigma kan in toekomstig onderzoek gebruikt worden om te onderzoeken onder welke omstandigheden informatie uit eerder gelezen teksten of achtergrondkennis geactiveerd wordt tijdens het lezen van nieuwe teksten. Het onderzoek is vooral fundamenteel van aard, maar bevat ook een aantal aanknopingspunten waarmee in toekomstig praktijkgericht onderzoek mogelijk een vertaalslag gemaakt kan worden voor de onderwijspraktijk. Zo lijken consolidatie- en verrijkingsprocessen belangrijk te zijn bij het leren van teksten. Show less
When trying to understand texts, readers engage in various cognitive processes. If all goes well, the engagement in these cognitive processes during reading results in the construction of a... Show moreWhen trying to understand texts, readers engage in various cognitive processes. If all goes well, the engagement in these cognitive processes during reading results in the construction of a coherent mental representation of the text, the essence of successful reading comprehension. To construct such a representation, readers need to monitor the coherence of the text and of their emerging mental representation of what the text is about. The central aim of the empirical studies described is to examine coherence-monitoring processes across development by measuring reader’s ability to detect coherence breaks during reading of narratives. The first part of this dissertation consists of three empirical studies (chapter 2-4). The first study examined whether good and poor comprehenders at age 8-9 and 10-11 detected coherence-breaks during and/or after reading. The second study builds on the first study by examining the protracted development of coherence monitoring in an adolescent population (ages 10-22) using the same task under more challenging circumstances. The third study explored the neural correlates of coherence-break detection in young adults in an fMRI study. The second part of this dissertation consists of two conceptual chapters in which the results are summarized and discussed in a broader theoretical perspective (chapter 5-6). Show less
