Receiver Differences and the Comprehension of Spoken Messages

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to develop receiver difference indices descriptive of organized and disorganized spoken message comprehension. Two months after the completion of four psychological tests, 149 subjects were divided into two groups, one of which heard an organized informative speech, and the other a disorganized version. The comprehension of each speech was measured with a multiple-choice test. Analyses of the data allowed for the interpretation of different indices appropriate for the explication and description of receiver comprehension in a variety of message conditions. These indices provide frameworks for a contemporary approach to the investigation of spoken message organization and receiver comprehension.