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The extent to which low-and high-WMC (working memory capacity) readers adjust cognitive processes to fit the reading purpose was examined. Participants performed a verbal protocol task as they read an expository text under 1 of 2 reading purpose conditions, entertainment or study, and then completed a free-recall task. When reading to study, low-WMC readers emphasized less demanding processes over more demanding processes to a greater extent than high-WMC readers and recalled less. When reading for entertainment, patterns of processes and recall were similar across readers. Thus, all readers adjusted processing to fit the reading purpose; however, when reading for study, low-WMC readers emphasized processes that were the least demanding on their resources but not necessarily beneficial for recall.

The importance of causal structure has been well documented in text comprehension research. This study investigates how both easy and difficult texts can be improved by repairing the causal structure and how causal structure repairs can differentially affect comprehension for more-and less-skilled readers. Following causal network theories of comprehension, principled and replicable types of repairs were made. Causal repairs consisted of (a) arranging text events in temporal order; (b) making implicit goals explicit; and (c) repairing coherence breaks caused by inadequate explanation, multiple causality, or distant causal relations. More-and less-skilled readers read revised and original versions of easy and difficult history texts. Results indicate that both more-and less-skilled readers benefited from the revisions but only for the difficult text. Causal network theories of comprehension provide an appropriate and systematic method for revising texts.Text comprehension cannot be understood completely without careful consideration of the way in which text structure and readers' cognitive processes interact. The formation of mental representations of texts is one such cognitive process that may depend on how the text is structured. Ideally, readers should form mental representations of texts because this level of understanding is conducive to long-term

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