Exploring how relevance instructions affect personal reading intentions,reading goals and text processing: A mixed methods study

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to investigate how relevance instructions influence readers’ personal reading intentions, reading goals, text processing, and memory for text. Undergraduates (n = 52) were randomly assigned to one of three pre-reading relevance instruction conditions that asked them to read from a perspective or to read for understanding. Experimental results showed that information was read slower and remembered better when it was relevant. However, some readers spent more time reading irrelevant information, whereas others spent less time reading this information. Post-reading interviews were analyzed to explain these reading time differences. The interview data indicated that relevance instructions influenced readers’ goals and the strategies they used to meet those goals. The data sets were complementary: the quantitative data indicated differences in reading time and recall, and the qualitative data allowed us to explain why these differences occurred. These data revealed three distinct reader profiles within and across conditions, and demonstrate how relevance instructions affect reader goals, processing, and comprehension.     

Warning readers to avoid irrelevant information: When being vague might be valuable

Students are often provided with instructions that are intended to influence their attention to particular sections or elements of their reading materials. To date, the bulk of the work on such prereading instructions has focused on drawing reader attention to relevant text information. In the current project, we examined whether instructions might also be useful in helping readers ignore irrelevant (albeit inherently interesting) information in text. In two experiments, prereading instructions asked readers to (a) focus on specific relevant text segments, (b) ignore specific irrelevant text segments, (c) maintain an awareness that the text contained irrelevant segments without specifically identifying them, or (d) read without warnings. Participants generally exhibited longer reading times and enhanced recall for irrelevant segments compared to base content, except in cases for which general instructions warned about but did not specifically identify those irrelevant elements. The implications of these findings for research on seductive details and text processing, as well practical applications for the design of reading instruction, are discussed.     

浅谈关联理论视角下翻译中的语境问题

关联理论认为交际是一个明示—推理过程,涉及人类的认知、大脑机能和语境效果,语境在我们理解话语和文本中起着非常重要的作用。一个成功的翻译文本需要译者根据动态语境进行推理,动态语境很大程度上取决于语言和环境的关联性。在翻译过程中,译者的主要任务是找出语言与语境之间的某种关联,尤其是最佳关联。根据最佳关联的原则,译者可以正确地理解原文,然后推理出最合适的语境,将其恰当地翻译成目标语。     

The Effects of Relevance Instructions and Verbal Ability on Text Processing

The authors examined whether relevance instructions compensate for differences in verbal ability on measures of reading time, text recall, and sentence recognition. College students (n = 81) with higher and lower verbal ability were assigned randomly to 1 of 2 relevance-instruction conditions before reading a text. They asked participants in each condition to focus on different categories of information within the same text. Relevant information took longer to read and was recalled and recognized better than nonrelevant information. Readers with higher verbal ability read faster and recalled and recognized more information correctly than did those readers with lower verbal ability. Results support the noncompensatory hypothesis, which states that relevance instructions and verbal ability make independent contributions to resource allocation and learning. Readers with lower verbal ability may need additional support even when given prereading relevance instructions.     

Do specific relevance instructions promote transfer appropriate processing?

This study examined whether specific relevance instructions affect transfer appropriate processing. Undergraduates (n = 52) were randomly assigned to one of three pre-reading question conditions that asked them what-questions, why-questions, or to read for understanding (i.e., control condition). There were no differences in reading time across conditions for sentences targeted by the pre-reading questions. There were three main findings with respect to cued recall. First, participants in the experimental conditions did better on questions that had greater similarity to relevance instructions than questions that had lesser similarity to relevance instructions. Second, participants in the experimental conditions did better on questions that had greater similarity to relevance instructions than the participants in the other conditions on those same questions. Third, participants in the control condition recalled equal amounts of information for both question. The results suggest that specific relevance instructions promote transfer appropriate processing and affect the quality of memory for text.     

从关联理论解读翻译策略

关联理论认为话语的理解是一种包含示意和推理两方面的认知过程,听话人根据说话人的示意行为,结合语境假设,求得语境效果而获取说话人的交际意图,翻译也研究语言理解和语言表达。由于关联理论把翻译看作是一个交际过程,故译者应充分考虑译语环境下译文读者的认知能力,视具体情况采用顺应译语文体规约的归化策略或保留原文特色的注释性异化策略,以帮助译文读者找到原文与译文语境之间的最佳关联,达到最佳交际效果。     

语用学视角下的翻译

语用学是近年来发展起来的新兴学科,语用学的理论成果如关联理论,语用推理,认知语境等应用到翻译领域不仅丰富了翻译理论而且有效的指导了翻译实践。如关联理论引入翻译理论形成了三元关系的翻译理论新模式。认知语境和示意-推理交际模式从语用学角度讨论了在译文中要不要译出源文作者隐含意图。     

Textual and graphical refutations: Effects on conceptual change learning

Refutation text is potentially more effective than standard text for conceptual change. Learning from text and graphic is also potentially superior to learning from text alone. In two studies, we investigated the effectiveness of both a refutation text and a refutation graphic for promoting high school students’ conceptual change learning about season change, as well as their metacognitive awareness of conceptual conflict and knowledge revision. In both studies, participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: (1) standard text with standard graphic, (2) standard text with refutation graphic, (3) refutation text with standard graphic, or (4) refutation text with refutation graphic. Both studies had a pretest, immediate post-test, and delayed post-test design and involved students with an initial common misconception about the causes of season change. In Study 2, explicit relevance instructions to observe the important illustration were given to the participants. In both studies, refutation text with refutation graphic was not more beneficial than other instructional materials, either at immediate or delayed post-test. In Study 1, more stable conceptual change learning emerged in readers of the refutation text with standard graphic compared to readers in the control condition. In Study 2, readers of the standard text with refutation graphic performed as well as readers of the refutation text with standard graphic. In addition, more readers of the refutation text with either graphic showed metacognitive awareness of their knowledge change compared to readers in the control condition. Educational implications underline the importance of relevance instructions for guiding readers toward the graphic and of the design of text-graphic pairing to sustain knowledge revision.     

关联理论在英语听力教学中的应用

关联理论对英语听力教学有重要的启示作用,通过探讨,提出扩大学生认知语境、选取合适的听力材料和引导学生寻找关联的英语听力教学策略。     

Designating reader perspective to increase comprehension and interest

In three experiments we examined whether reader perspective on a long expository text could be manipulated such that increased text interest and enhancement of two comprehension outcomes would result. In Experiment 1 we verified the viability of a new text for experimental purposes. We then assigned readers a perspective before reading in Experiment 2 and after reading in Experiment 3. One primary research question addressed whether interest in a long expository text could be manipulated by assigning readers a perspective. We considered this to be an examination of purpose-driven interest ( Schraw & Dennison, 1994). As hypothesized, participants rated text segments as more interesting when the segments corresponded to their assigned perspective. In support of our second hypothesis, that recall would increase as a function of reader perspective, low to medium effects were found for both total number and depth of ideas recalled. We discuss implications of this work for understanding of the role of relevance in increasing recall. Implications for practice and future research are also discussed.     

关联与反讽话语翻译——以《傲慢与偏见》中的反讽话语翻译为个案

本文基于Dan Sperber和Deirdre Wilson的关联理论以及E．A．Gutt提出的关联翻译理论,并以张玲和张杨合译的《傲慢与偏见》一书中的反讽话语翻译为个案来分析,试图从关联理论和关联翻译理论的角度来探讨反讽话语的翻译,旨在实现反讽话语的对等翻译。     

试论习用性比喻翻译中的关联取向

本文试图从关联理论的角度探析习用性比喻及其翻译问题。文章首先简要回顾了关联理论翻译观,然后在关联理论的框架下分析了习用性比喻翻译中的关联取向。     

话语连贯与关联理论

人们的交际总是以话语相关或话语连贯为取向,而话语是否相关或连贯对听者而言在很大程度上依赖于他的认知推理。本文借助关联理论分析人们口语交际中对话语连贯性的认知推理,指出听者对话语连贯与否的接受决定其能否正确理解话语;连贯的话语一定是相关的,但相关的话语并非总是连贯的。     

Investigating the Use of Integrated Instructions to Reduce the Cognitive Load Associated with Doing Practical Work in Secondary School Science

This study investigated the effects of integrated illustrations on understanding instructions for practical work in science. Ninety‐six secondary school students who were unfamiliar with the target content knowledge and practical equipment took part. The students were divided into two conditions: (1) modified instructions containing integrated text and illustrations, and (2) conventional instructions containing text only. Modified instructions produced significantly higher levels of performance on task, lower time to completion and perceived cognitive load and task difficulty, higher relative efficiency score, and higher post‐test scores than the conventional instructions. When learners are inexperienced and the information is complex, the results suggest that physically integrating mutually referring sources of information reduces cognitive load, and therefore makes practical work instructions easier to understand.     

从关联理论下的明示推理模式看《围城》的英译本

本文将从关联理论中的明示-推理模式出发,针对译者与原文作者以及译者与译文读者之间的交际失误这两大案例,分别从语言和文化两个方面对钱钟书先生的《围城》的英译本进行分析,着重研究明示-推理模式对翻译实践的指导性。     

从相干逻辑看逻辑的可修正性

相干逻辑是现代逻辑的重要分支,它是异于经典逻辑的"非经典逻辑"。相干逻辑在批评经典蕴涵的基础上,从多个方面对经典逻辑进行了修改。总体来说,相干逻辑的修改方案是可行的和成功的。但是,相干逻辑仍然面临诸多问题,有待进一步解决和完善。     

从关联翻译的动态性看翻译标准的相对性

关联理论认为翻译是在译者认知语境的视阈下完成的明示——推理交际过程,译者的认知语境是动态的,随着交际的时空、情境的变化而发生变化。翻译的动态性决定了译文的多样性与差异性,同时使翻译标准呈现相对性,多元互补的特点。     

Comprehending instructions for using pharmaceutical products in rural Kenya

This paper reports two studies on comprehension of pharmaceutical texta containing pictorial and written instructions by mothers in rural Kenya. The subjects were asked to read and recall instructions for preparing and administering a solution for the treatment of dehydration due to diarrheal disease in children. A set of pictures describing the preparation procedure, together with written text instructions under two conditions, (a) original, as in the commercial product, and (b) revised, to include familiar terminology and explanations of some procedures, were presented to two groups of Kenyan mothers. The verbal protocols generated were transcribed and analyzed using propositional representation of instructional procedures.The results showed that mothers recalled the procedures for the preparation as in the pictures but not those presented in the written instructions. The written instructions were generally found to be difficult, with the original text being more difficult than the revised text. Any conflicting information between the written and pictorial instructions was resolved by selecting the familiar procedure. The information recalled from the revised text that was recalled was that which supported the procedures in the pictures. The results have implications for writing adequate pharmaceutical texts for users such that little room is left for misinterpretation.     

关联理论在翻译中的应用--以《雾都孤儿》之荣译本和何译本为例

从关联理论的角度看,翻译本质上也是一种交际行为。译者的责任是努力做到使原文作者的意图与译文读者的企盼相吻合,力争实现最佳关联。可是,在翻译实践中往往会存在些许翻译交际失败的情况。文章认为在翻译过程中,由于交际环境发生巨大变化而引起的关联性缺失是导致翻译交际失败的原因,具体表现在信息意图与交际意图的分离、语境假设的耗损与取消和语境含意的流失三个方面。选用《雾都孤儿》的荣如德译本和何文安译本作为研究对象,探讨在翻译的过程中应该如何重构关联,使交际在跨语言跨文化环境中得以顺利进行。     

Uncovering the effect of text structure in learning from a science text: An eye-tracking study

This study examined whether reading a refutational or non-refutational text would induce different cognitive processing, as revealed by eye-movement analyses. Unlike a standard expository text, a refutational text acknowledges a reader’s alternative conceptions about a topic, refutes them, and then introduces scientific conceptions as viable alternatives. Forty university students read one or the other type of text about the phenomenon of the tides. All had alternative conceptions about the topic. Findings showed that at post-test (off-line measure) refutational text readers learned more than non-refutational text readers. Outcomes regarding indices of visual behavior (on-line measures) during reading revealed that refutational text readers fixated the text segments presenting scientific concepts for a longer time overall than non-refutational text readers, in particular during the second-pass reading. Refutational text readers also fixated the refutational segments for a shorter time than non-refutational text readers for the control segments. Furthermore, all indices of visual attention predicted learning only for the refutational text readers. The more the students’ reading of the refutational text was strategic, the better they learned from it. Implications about eye-tracking methodology and the refutational effect are drawn.