Do highlights affect comprehension? Lessons from a user study

Samuel Dodson, Luanne Freund, Rick Kopak
2019
A largely unquestioned assumption in social reading is that publicly shared annotations improve reading outcomes. In this study, we explore the specific assumption that relevant and irrelevant passive highlighting affects comprehension. Participants were divided by cognitive style based on their degree of Field Dependence-Independence [19]. We found that irrelevant highlights had significant negative effects on reading comprehension for Field Independents (FIs), but not Field Dependents (FDs).
more » ... his is a surprising result because FDs typically rely on external cues to structure and help process information, whereas FIs use internal cues. This suggests that highlighting cues information but does not structure it.
doi:10.14288/1.0376432 fatcat:ag4qwzaxyzag3aygzgz2w63esa