Transfer of fluency across repetitions and across texts.

Abstract Three experiments examined transfer of reading fluency across repeated readings of the same text and across related but different texts. In Experiment 1, we demonstrated that a paraphrase that altered the syntactic structure of sentences, but not the lexical identity of main concepts or the unfolding of the message, was reprocessed as an unchanged repetition. However, when the paraphrase altered the lexical identity of main concepts, even though the message unfolded in the same manner, there was a loss in the repetition benefit. In Experiments 2 and 3, we demonstrated that there is transfer from a representation of one text to the reading of a second text only if the messages are continuous, not if the passages simply share a large number of overlapping words. The experiments are discussed in terms of the influence of 'episodic' text representations on reading fluency.Resume Trois experiences ont porte sur le transfert de la facilite de lecture au cours de lectures repetees d'un meme texte et de textes connexes mais differents. Dans l'experience 1, nous avons demontre qu'une paraphrase modifiant la structure syntaxique de la phrase, mais non pas l'identite lexicale des principaux concepts ou la formulation du message, etait traitee de nouveau comme une repetition inchangee. Par contre, quand la paraphrase modifiait l'identite lexicale des principaux concepts, meme si le message etait formule de la meme faeon, la repetition perdait de son utilite. Dans les experiences 2 et 3, nous avons demontre qu'il y a transfert de la representation d'un premier texte a la lecture d'un second seulement si les messages sont continus; il n'y a pas de transfert si les textes ont simplement en commun bon nombre de mots. Il est question de l'influence des representations de textes « episodiques » sur la facilite de lecture.The experiments to be described examined transfer of reading fluency across rereadings of the same text and across readings of different texts. Transfer across readings provides a model of how experience influences the development of reading fluency. What is left in memory following the reading of one text that allows a subsequent text to be read more fluently? By fluently, we mean that the text is read more rapidly, but with comprehension, as a function of the prior reading experience. To ensure that reading was focused on meaning, subjects were not only instructed to read for meaning but this instruction was reinforced by the use of some form of comprehension testing following reading. This meaning focus reflects our interest in understanding the representations formed during 'real' reading for the purpose of understanding a message. Our main interests were, a) in the representation that remains in memory after reading a text that facilitates reprocessing of that same text on subsequent encounters, and b) in whether a text representation in memory can be used to more fluently process a subsequent text that differs from the first. We used variations between the two texts to determine the characteristics that must be shared by the memorial representation and the subsequent passage before transfer of reading fluency will be observed.In Experiment 1, we explored characteristics that must be shared for the second text to be processed as a repetition of the first text. In Experiments 2 and 3, we examined conditions that might produce transfer across texts. The notion we will develop is that in both cases the memorial representation is of the text 'episode' and transfer depends on the ability of the second text to recruit that episodic representation. To do that, there must be message overlap. There is now a considerable literature studying transfer, for skilled adult readers, across repeated readings of the same text, but there is a dearth of evidence on transfer across different texts, except for studies of children with reading problems. We will first discuss the text repetition effects and present Experiment 1 before we discuss the across - text research with children and the final two experiments. …