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Reading to do: Creating contingent action plans
Author(s) -
Wright P.,
Hull A. J.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
british journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.536
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 2044-8295
pISSN - 0007-1269
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8295.1988.tb02283.x
Subject(s) - action (physics) , psychology , reading (process) , representation (politics) , cognitive psychology , order (exchange) , social psychology , linguistics , law , philosophy , physics , finance , quantum mechanics , politics , political science , economics
Three experiments are reported which examine the action plans readers create for written instructions containing conditionals ( if, if not, unless ). Experiment 1 shows, from the pattern of errors and latencies with True/False items, that if not is represented as a positive action and negative condition, whereas unless is represented as a negative action and positive condition (‘Do not if…’), even when the materials permit other recoding options. Experiment 2 focuses on unless and suggests that errors arise mainly from recoding operations, whereas speed of response is determined by the clause order used for the instruction. Experiment 3 introduces prohibitions (‘Do not do X’). These impair performance with if and if not but facilitate performance with unless. This is consistent with readers representing unless in action plans as ‘Do not if, the reader‐generated representation of the negative action being cancelled by the explicit prohibition in the instruction. The practical implications of these findings are pointed out.