Effects of the organization of text on memory: Tests of retrieval and response criterion hypotheses

Retrieval and response criterion explanations of the effects of text organization on memory were tested in 4 experiments with 426 undergraduates. The text materials were constructed so that the same target information was high in the content structure of one passage and low in another passage. Results show that more target information was free recalled when it was high than when it was low in the content structure. In 3 experiments, 3 types of retrieval cues reduced the recall differences between information high and low in the structure, consistent with a retrieval hypothesis. In Exp IV, manipulation of the Ss' response criterion had little influence on the effects of text organization on memory. (6 ref)