Passage length and recall with test size held constant: effects of modality, pacing, and learning set

Many earlier experiments on the effect of passage length on learning and recall confounded passage with test size. To avoid this, recall with tests of fixed size after selfpaced reading of expository passages of various lengths (1056,1709, and 2689 words) was measured. More detail was remembered 23 hours later for short passages than long. Length effects were observed in selfpaced reading even if there was no intent to remember. Neither listening at 99, 131, and 164 words per minute nor experimenter-paced reading at various rates produced length decrements. It was concluded from the four experiments that negative effects of passage length on test performance (a) were due to acquisition processes rather than retrieval, and (b) resulted from failure to adapt reading to greater difficulty in integrating among information elements of longer passages.