How Flexibly Do We Read?

Abstract

Two-hundred fifty-five college students enrolled in developmental reading classes were tested to determine the extent of internal (intra-article) reading flexibility. This investigation entailed careful observations of the relationship between rate and difficulty as these students worked their way through passages from beginning to end.

Cognitive processes in skimming stories.

“…Readers can adjust their reading rates as they become more familiar with a task (Kershner, 1964) and also can adjust their rates as different parts of the same text become more or less difficult (Rankin, 1971). Flexibility is important in the development of speeded reading as more success in increasing reading rate is achieved by readers who have greater flexibility (Thompson & Whitehill, 1970).…”