| Abstract: | When we read a sentence do we abstract out its semantic core and discard the surface representation, or is the surface representation an integral part of the encoded sentence? This question was studied by measurement of transfer to a second reading of a sentence of skill acquired in a first encounter with the sentence. The transfer relation was studied when the typography, language, or modality of the first and second embodiments were varied. The results favor a theory that emphasizes recognition in terms of the pattern analyzing operations that are directed at surface lexical representations. A distinction is brought out between operational or procedural memory and substantive or semantic memory. In many cases memory of procedures may be sufficient to recover the information encoded. Stage-wise processing theories do not seem to have place for such notions. |
