The Contribution of Executive Functions When Reading Multiple Texts: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

In the present-day knowledge society, people need to critically comprehend information across multiple sources that express diverse and contradictory viewpoints. Due to the complexity associated with this process, an important role can be played by Executive Functions, that is, cognitive control processes used to regulate mental functioning and behavior when automatized elaborations are not sufficient. The aim of this article is to review existing research on the roles of executive functions when reading from multiple texts. To identify the appropriate studies, we conducted a search in the following databases: Web of science, Scopus, PsycInfo, Eric. The search string was created by combining the terms used in past literature reviews on executive functions and multiple-texts comprehension. From the total number of 4,877 records identified, seven articles met all the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Given the scarcity of studies on the topic, we decided to examine also eight articles reporting indirect evidence about the association between executive functions and multiple-text comprehension. Our review revealed that the study of the association between executive functions and multiple-texts comprehension is underdeveloped. The results seem to suggest that working memory is involved in surface comprehension, whereas results about sourcing and intertextual integration processes are mixed. Indirect evidence suggests that other executive functions, such as planning or monitoring, may be involved when learning from multiple texts. More research on this topic is needed given the increasing complexity of the contexts in which reading activities take place.

Digital literacy in the university setting: A literature review of empirical studies between 2010 and 2021

“…Other systematic reviews go along the same lines, and in the same journal and section Frontiers in Psychology . For example, Dickson and Schubert ( 2020 ) and Liu et al ( 2022 ) found only six studies in a review of great interest; the study by Nguyen et al ( 2021 ) identified 18 eligible articles; Shou et al ( 2022 ) with 12 studies included; or Tarchi et al ( 2021 ); Huang ( 2022 ) found seven studies for quantitative analysis and eight for indirect evidence; Coxen et al ( 2021 ) with 21 articles included in the focal analyzes of the systematic review. The number of studies to be representative is not defined by the number but by the existence of such studies.…”

High-level listening comprehension in advanced English as a second language: Effects of the first language and inhibitory control

“…Inhibitory control (IC) and working memory have routinely been associated with comprehension ability (Pérez et al, 2014;Tarchi, Ruffini & Pecini, 2021). In a significant study for the present research, Pérez et al (2016) investigated how adults monitor and revise their situation model after encountering unexpected information.…”

Correlates of K-12 Students’ Intertextual Integration: A Scoping Review of the Literature

“…As an initial step toward synthesizing this literature, we conducted a systematic review of studies reporting concurrent associations among individual differences factors (e.g., working memory) and intertextual integration. Previous efforts to review this literature have revealed many useful insights (Alexander & Disciplined Reading and Learning Research Laboratory, 2020;Anmarkrud et al, 2022;Barzilai & Strømsø, 2018;Bråten et al, 2011;List & Sun, 2023;Richter & Maier, 2017;Tarchi et al, 2021) but are limited by several factors. First, only several reviews have used systematic and transparent search procedures (Anmarkrud et al, 2022;List & Sun, 2023;Richter & Maier, 2017;Tarchi et al, 2021).…”

“…Previous efforts to review this literature have revealed many useful insights (Alexander & Disciplined Reading and Learning Research Laboratory, 2020;Anmarkrud et al, 2022;Barzilai & Strømsø, 2018;Bråten et al, 2011;List & Sun, 2023;Richter & Maier, 2017;Tarchi et al, 2021) but are limited by several factors. First, only several reviews have used systematic and transparent search procedures (Anmarkrud et al, 2022;List & Sun, 2023;Richter & Maier, 2017;Tarchi et al, 2021). This is critical for reducing sampling error and for ensuring replicability Cumming et al, 2023).…”

“…Cognitive and metacognitive skills have been hypothesized to play a central role in intertextual integration (Follmer & Tise, 2022;Tarchi et al, 2021; see also Table A1).…”