摘要:Reading text from a screen has been shown to be less effective compared with reading
text from paper. Various signals may provide both background information and navigational
cues, and may promote the construction of cognitive maps during on-screen reading,
thus improving reading performance. This study randomly divided 75 college students
into a paper reading group and an on-screen reading group. Both groups were tested
for navigation and reading comprehension in response to three different forms of signaling
(plain text, physical signaling, and verbal signaling). The results showed that when plain
text was presented, the navigation and comprehension scores of the paper reading group
were significantly higher than those of the on-screen reading group. However, no significant
difference was found between both groups under signaling conditions. The navigation
and comprehension scores of both groups were significantly higher under signaling
conditions than under plain text. Moreover, the comprehension score of the on-screen
reading group under physical signaling was significantly higher than that under verbal
signaling. This research suggested that signals help to construct cognitive maps and
effectively improve reading performance. Besides, physical signaling, such as underlining
and bold formatting, is more effective for on-screen reading. The present study provides
a practical and effective approach for improving on-screen reading based on cognitive
map theory.