Working Memory Capacity but Not Prior Knowledge Impact on Readers' Attention and Text Comprehension

Schurer, Teresa; Opitz, Bertram; Schubert, Torsten · 2020 · Crossref

DOI: 10.3389/feduc.2020.00026

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Summary

This study investigates the interactive effects of working memory capacity (WMC), prior knowledge, and text cohesion on readers’ attention and comprehension during digital hypertext reading. While previous research established that low text cohesion increases mind wandering and reduces comprehension, the specific roles of individual differences in WMC and prior knowledge remained controversial. The authors aimed to resolve conflicting theories regarding whether mind wandering results from resource depletion or executive control failure, and to determine how these factors jointly influence reading outcomes. The researchers conducted an experiment with 90 university students, divided into two groups based on prior knowledge: 30 law students (high prior knowledge of copyright law) and 60 students from other disciplines (low prior knowledge). Participants read either a high-cohesion (easy) or low-cohesion (difficult) version of an unfamiliar hypertext about copyright law. Text cohesion was manipulated by altering local features (e.g., pronoun clarity, connectives) and global features (e.g., topic headers, paragraph order). During reading, participants completed task-embedded thought probes to report mind wandering episodes. After reading, they completed a comprehension test and a memory test. WMC was assessed using operation span and reading span tasks, allowing researchers to categorize participants into high- or low-WMC groups. The results indicated that mind wandering occurred more frequently when participants read low-cohesion texts compared to high-cohesion texts, regardless of their prior knowledge. Crucially, WMC moderated this effect: participants with lower WMC exhibited significantly more mind wandering than those with higher WMC, but only when reading low-cohesion texts. In contrast, prior knowledge did not influence the frequency of mind wandering or attention allocation. However, prior knowledge did benefit final text comprehension scores. Additionally, high-WMC participants outperformed low-WMC participants on all measures of text comprehension. The findings suggest that low WMC impairs the ability to inhibit irrelevant information and access related concepts from working memory, particularly when text complexity is high. The study concludes that while prior knowledge aids comprehension, it does not protect against attention failures like mind wandering. Instead, WMC is the critical factor determining attentional stability during the processing of difficult texts. These findings support the executive control-failure hypothesis, suggesting that individuals with lower WMC struggle to maintain focus on demanding tasks, leading to increased off-task thoughts. The results provide insight into the cognitive mechanisms underlying digital reading, highlighting that text cohesion and reader working memory capacity are key determinants of attention and comprehension, whereas prior knowledge primarily supports the construction of the situation model after attention has been maintained.

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• cognitive capacity variation