CRITICAL

READING EFFORT
DURING TEXT
REVISION
Jean-Yves Roussey
(IUFM de l’ Acad´mie d’Aix-Marseille, Aix-en-Provence, France)
Annie Piolat
(Universit´ de Provence, Aix-en-Provence, France)
CONTENTS
Content of this article :

1. Introduction
2. Comparison Of Cognitive Effort In Comprehension Reading And Critical Reading
3. Cognitive Effort In Critical Reading Of A Text With Or Without Effort
4. Method
5. Result
6. Discussion
7. References
8. Appendix
 VARIABLES

Free variables: Bound variables :

1. Critical reading during text revision 1. Comparison Of Cognitive Effort In Comprehension

Reading And Critical Reading
2. Cognitive Effort In Critical Reading Of A Text With
Or Without Effort
RESULT
The observed performance differences (text revising time, number of text-correction scans, mean time per
scan, number of corrected errors, and amount of cognitive effort) across participants with different working
memory spans need further investigation. The differing memory capacities of the two groups of
readers/revisers led to differences in attentional control. It would seem that the memory-span variable
provides more than just a measure of the memory capacity of participants; it also indirectly assesses their
expertise in managing critical-reading activities. We need further knowledge of the ‘‘nature’’ of this type of
expertise, if, as Hayes (2004) proposed, we hope to enhance the judgmental skills needed to detect problems
and carry out a critical-reading process. This knowledge is crucial because revision is a multidimensional
activity. The correction of spelling or grammatical errors is but a limited part of this activity.