文脈訊息對閱讀廣度的影響

The Effect of Contextual Information on Reading Span

工作記憶在學習歷程中扮演重要的角色。本研究以閱讀廣度作業探討工作記憶中，處理作業提供的文脈訊息如何促進記憶的儲存。實驗一發現在控制閱讀廣度作業的文字後，處理作業的文脈訊息及處理作業與記憶目標詞的相互整合，會促進參與者在儲存作業的表現，而處理作業的認知負荷對其記憶表現有干擾效果。實驗二使用自由回憶的測量方式，發現參與者會主動利用處理作業的文脈關係來重建目標詞。實驗三使用順序再認測驗，發現處理作業的文脈關係，可以增進參與者對目標詞絕對順序與相對順序的再認。實驗二與實驗三並發現，文脈訊息對儲存作業的促進效果，只出現在文脈訊息較豐富的情境。這些結果顯示，在閱讀廣度作業中，參與者會主動利用處理作業的文脈訊息且其記憶表現受處理作業的認知負荷所影響，更重要的是，處理作業對記憶目標詞的促進效果，是來自文脈所提供的順序訊息。文末針對工作記憶中處理成分促進儲存的機制進行討論，並對閱讀廣度作業的材料設計提出建議。

Working memory plays an important role in school learning. This study using the reading span task investigated how contextual information provided by the processing component enhances the working memory storage. In Experiment 1, we found that the contextual information and the integration between the processing task and target words facilitated memory performance, while increasing cognitive load had an interference effect. Experiment 2 showed that in free recall, participants actively used the contextual information to reconstruct the target words of the storage task. Experiment 3 further used the sequence recognition test and found that the contextual information enhanced participants' recognition of both absolute and relative positions of the target words. Experiment 2 and 3 also found that participants' memory performance was only benefitted from conditions with a high level of contextual information. These findings demonstrated that participants actively made use of the contextual information provided by the processing task and that changing cognitive load in the processing task had an effect. More importantly, the sequential information from the contextual relationship between the sentences in the processing component was the basis for reconstructing the target words in a reading span task. These findings are discussed in terms of the mechanism underling the facilitation effect of the processing component in a working memory task. Some suggestions are also made regarding materials used in the reading span task to measure individual differences.