Three experiments examined the trade-off between the text-based and task-based importance. Text-based importance was defined as information in a text that is important due to its structural relation to other text segments. Task-based importance was defined as text information that is important due to external constraints such as instructions. Undergraduates in this study spontaneously adopted an interactive, compensatory strategy in which task-based importance superseded the role of text-based importance. Implications for reading instruction and practice were discussed.
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