Baddeley's Grammatical Reasoning Test: active versus passive processing differences re-examined

Abstract

In Baddeley's grammatical reasoning test it is assumed that passive voice takes longer to process than active and that negative sentences take longer than posi tive ; however, such differences are confounded with sentence length. The present study equated sentence length to examine these issues. A factorial design was used with: (1) two methods of presentation (computer vs. paper and pencil); (2) using the words 'leads' vs. 'precedes'; (3) variable (3-6 word) vs. equal length (6-word) sentences; (4) two replications of each test. When sentences are of unequal length, there was a significant active-passive main effect; however, equal length sentences produced no significant active-passive main effect. Instead, there was an interaction such that there was an active- passive difference for positive sentences, but this difference was not significant for negative sentences.