How Personal Evaluation Affects the Underlining and Recall of Prose Material

Abstract

Abstract.The influence of personal evaluation from the experimenter on the underlining and recall of prose material was investigated for college undergraduates (N = 135). Subjects who received positive personal evaluation performed better on the underlining task and on the recall of nonunderlined material than subjects who received negative personal evaluatoion. Subjects who received no personal evaluation also performed better on the underlining task than subjects who received negative personal evaluation. Implications for education are presented.