Reprocessing Text: Indirect Measures of Word and Message Level Processes

In three experiments we examined word-and text-level transfer after different reading experiences. Experiment 1 showed that facilitation in the later perceptual identification of a word occurs when that word was originally read as part of a word set, but not when it was read as part of a meaningful text. Further, the word-to-word transfer effect exhibited the hallmarks of data-driven processing. Experiments 2 and 3 showed that transfer at the text level occurs when the reprocessing measure involves the entire text, rather than words taken from the text. This text reprocessing effect also exhibited data-driven indicators and was indifferent to the subjects’ reading strategies. It was specific to the text originally read, with no generalization to texts of the same structure. The results, discussed in terms of Kolers’ (1975) views of skilled reading, suggest caution in interpreting transfer measures when the original and reprocessing tasks are at different linguistic levels.