Individual Differences in Prior Knowledge: Acquisition and Revision

• In Event: Reconceptualizing Individual Differences in Reading

Abstract

Objectives or purposes
The purpose of this poster is to review the role of individual differences in readers’ prior knowledge with a dual focus on knowledge acquisition and knowledge revision. Specifically, we reviewed individual differences in prior knowledge to understand its influences on reading comprehension. We also discuss processes and mechanisms that underlie knowledge acquisition and knowledge revision, as well as implications for further research and practice.
Theoretical framework
Prior knowledge is critical to the acquisition of new knowledge during reading (Murphy, Alexander & Muis, 2012). We endorse a view that prior knowledge is activated and made available via passive activation processes derived from global models of memory (e.g. the resonance model, Myers & O’Brien, 1998). The resonance model posits that newly encoded information and current working memory contents provide a signal to all of long-term memory, including earlier text portions and prior knowledge (e.g., Cook & Guéraud, 2005). Concepts from earlier text portions and information from prior knowledge resonate from the match to information in the signal. As activation builds, information at the highest levels of activation enters working memory, guiding further processing.
Prior knowledge can both facilitate and interfere with the acquisition of new knowledge from text. Knowledge acquisition is the process of encoding new information (included in texts) in memory, the success of which is often gauged by how well the information can later be retrieved from memory. Knowledge revision is the modification of pre-existing, incorrect knowledge base in memory to accommodate newly-acquired information.
Methods
We reviewed previous research regarding prior knowledge and its influences on knowledge acquisition and knowledge revision.
Data sources
Empirical research and reviews published over the last 30 years scaffolded our discussion of prior knowledge and its role on knowledge acquisition and knowledge revision.
Results
Although there are many models and theories of reading comprehension, most have focused on the typical reader (for a review, see McNamara & Magliano, 2009). Past models have attempted to account for the role of prior knowledge to some extent. As these models approximate the reading comprehension process, it will become important to understand the interaction between individual differences in prior knowledge and the text. Importantly, understanding this interaction can allow for the development of appropriate text-based manipulations to effectively match readers’ prior knowledge. In this context, the Knowledge Revision Components Framework (KReC, Kendeou & O’Brien, 2014) outlines basic comprehension processes and text factors that can be accentuated to increase the potential for successful knowledge acquisition and revision during reading.
Scientific or scholarly significance
This work provides an explanation for the role of readers’ prior knowledge on the knowledge acquisition and knowledge revision processes. KReC not only can provide teachers and reading specialists with an interdisciplinary view of the impact of prior knowledge on reading comprehension, but can also inspire the design of effective instructional approaches and materials that align with the framework’s key processes and mechanisms.

Authors

• Panayiota Kendeou, University of Minnesota

• Edward J O'Brien, University of New Hampshire

• Reese Butterfuss, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities