Hi everyone, in my work on plagiarism I have come across the claim that a reader will have better memory/understanding of a message if on subsequent trials that message is conveyed in different words. I suspect that this particular claim is grounded in the levels of processing theory. The message conveyed with different language forces the reader to not rely on recognition memory thereby leading him/her to engage in deeper processing of the text being read and, consequently, on a better understanding of the concepts being conveyed. I suppose that an argument can also be made for the opposite prediction in the case of simpler material: That the message using the same language is easier to process thereby leading to a strengthening of the memory. Anyway, my problem is that I cannot seem to find a single study that tests either one of these hypotheses: Two (or more) groups get the same message once. Then, the second time around, one group gets the identical message while the other groups get a paraphrased version. All groups are then tested for the recollection of the material.
I am virtually certain that I have read about this type of study or something very similar years ago, perhaps back in graduate school, but my search so far has produced 0 results. Perhaps I am not using the correct search terms? Be that as it may, are any TIPSters familiar with such work or am I making stuff up again (it won’t be the first time!)? Any clues as to whether that type of study or a conceptually similar study has been done would be greatly appreciated. If you are aware that it has been carried out, I'll find it! Miguel ___________________________________________________________________________ Miguel Roig, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology St. John's University 300 Howard Avenue Staten Island, New York 10301 Voice: (718) 390-4513 Fax: (718) 390-4347 E-mail: [email protected] http://facpub.stjohns.edu/~roigm http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5311-5651 On plagiarism and ethical writing: http://ori.dhhs.gov/education/products/plagiarism/ ___________________________________________________________________________ --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=49521 or send a blank email to leave-49521-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
