Phrase-Spaced Formats Improve Comprehension in Average Readers

Steven Jandreau; Thomas Bever

doi:10.1037/0021-9010.77.2.143

Phrase-Spaced Formats Improve Comprehension in Average Readers

Steven Jandreau, Thomas Bever

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

19 Scopus citations

Abstract

College readers read and answered questions on 12 short essays. Essays formatted so that points between phrases had fractional extra space added to them were comprehended better than normally formatted text. These improvements were specific to average readers. Practically, the results justify classroom research on the benefits of phrase-sensitive formatting; theoretically, the results add to existing evidence that poor to average readers specifically lack perceptual strategies for grouping word sequences into phrases.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	143-146
Number of pages	4
Journal	Journal of Applied Psychology
Volume	77
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.77.2.143
State	Published - Apr 1992
Externally published	Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Applied Psychology

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10.1037/0021-9010.77.2.143

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abstract = "College readers read and answered questions on 12 short essays. Essays formatted so that points between phrases had fractional extra space added to them were comprehended better than normally formatted text. These improvements were specific to average readers. Practically, the results justify classroom research on the benefits of phrase-sensitive formatting; theoretically, the results add to existing evidence that poor to average readers specifically lack perceptual strategies for grouping word sequences into phrases.",

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Phrase-Spaced Formats Improve Comprehension in Average Readers

Abstract

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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