Scholars express concern about college students' declining reading levels when the need for critical literacy is growing. Burner's (1985, 1986) theory of two basic modes of thought—narrative and paradigmatic—offers a scheme for categorizing reading assignments. The scientific nature of psychology requires students to read paradigmatic text critically. Empirical evidence suggests that differences among students' reading abilities are related to general ability, domain knowledge, decoding ability, working memory, and study techniques. Task variables (e.g., being required to create analogies or summaries and style or syntax of textual materials themselves) are also important. I conclude with empirically based suggestions for incorporating paradigmatic requirements into the psychology curriculum.
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