Advanced Outlines, Familiarity, and Text Genre on Retention of Prose

Abstract

This study examined how retention of prose is affected by (1) outlines as advanced organizers, (2) preexperimentai familiarity with the material, and (3) text genre (i.e., narrative vs. expository prose). College students studied either a two-level outline, a one-level outline, or no outline before listening to 400 to 500 word passages that varied in familiarity and narrativity. Subjects were subsequently given a cued recall test or a 3-Alternative, Forced Choice test on the passages. Whereas outline condition and familiarity had no significant effects on retention, narrativity ratings on the passages predicted between 38% and 84% of the variance of retention scores. Stories were recalled much better than expository passages. These findings were discussed in the context of current theories in cognitive psychology, particularly those that have explored the structure, organization, and representation of knowledge and prose.