Effects of shadowing on prose comprehension and problem solving

In two experiments, subjects listened to a text about radar while either shadowing or not shadowing the passage. Results of Experiment 1 produced a pattern in which both groups performed at similar levels on retention of single facts, the nonshadowers excelled on transfer of the presented information to novel problem solving, and shadowers excelled on verbatim recognition of words. In Experiment 2, there was a pattern in which both groups performed at similar levels for recall of specific information, the nonshadowers excelled on recall of conceptual principles, and shadowers excelled on recall of modifying details. Implications for transfer-appropriate processing and the cognitive capacity hypothesis were examined.