Investigation of Reading Strategies: I. Manipulating Strategies through Payoff Conditions

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Abstract
Reading strategies of several groups of college students were manipulated by using payoff structures which stressed speed vs. retention. The influence of four variables on reading speed and test performance was studied: existence of a payoff structure, type of payoff structure, clarity of payoff instructions, and presence or absence of questions after each passage. Reading rates varied substantially under these conditions, but test performance did not. The potential usefulness of payoff systems for the study of reading strategies is pointed out.