A Multidimensional Investigation of Deep-level and Surface-level Processing

Abstract

This study examines the moderating effects of a situational factor (i.e., text type) and an individual factor (i.e., subject-matter knowledge) on the relation between depth of processing and performance. One-hundred and fifty-one undergraduates completed measures of subject-matter knowledge, read either an expository or persuasive text about the existence of extraterrestrials while thinking aloud, and then completed a passage recall task and an open-ended task. Results indicated that the relation between depth of processing and the open-ended tasks was moderated by the type of text participants read (i.e., expository or persuasive). Moreover, there was a significant interaction between the passage recall measure and open-ended task for depth of processing and type of text.

Keywords:

• deep- and surface-level processing
• expository text
• open-ended task
• persuasive text
• recall
• strategies

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors thank Meghan Parkinson and Emily Fox for their help with coding. The authors also thank Peter Afflerbach, Ann Battle, Gregory Hancock, Kathryn Wentzel, Allan Wigfield, and the members of the Disciplined Reading and Learning Research Laboratory for their helpful comments and feedback on previous drafts of this article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Daniel L. Dinsmore

Daniel L. Dinsmore received his doctorate in Human Development with a specialization in Educational Psychology from the University of Maryland in 2011. His research interests include strategic processing and learning from text.

Patricia A. Alexander

Patricia A. Alexander is a Distinguished Professor and the Jean Mullan Professor of Literacy at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her research interests include strategic processing, learning from text, and academic development.