Less skilled comprehenders' inference failures stem more from incorrect premise recall, whereas skilled comprehenders fail more at integrating recalled information¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2001 · checked against its sources 2026-10-17 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? A greater proportion of less skilled comprehenders' remaining inference failures were attributable to failure to recall the relevant textual premise, with a main effect of skill group and of inference type. → Kate Cain 2001

Evidence¶

Kate Cain 2001¶

Kate Cain, Jane V. Oakhill, Marcia A. Barnes, and Peter E. Bryant. (2001). Comprehension skill, inference-making ability, and their relation to knowledge. Memory & Cognition, 29(6), 850-859. https://doi.org/10.3758/bf03196414

q2 · i? · associational · r2

Two-way ANOVA (skill group x inference type) on proportions of remaining inference failures attributed to incorrect premise recall. Main effect of skill group F(1,24) = 5.33, p < .035; main effect of inference type F(1,24) = 7.08, p < .015; interaction not significant.

"The analysis revealed a main effect of skill group [F(1,24) = 5.33, p < .035], because a greater proportion of less skilled comprehenders'inference failures could be attributed to a failure to recall the relevant premise from the text, relative to the skilled group' s errors."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Inferencing — outcome: instruction changes it
• Long-Term Memory — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes

Related Claims¶

• Incorrect inference generation is more common for elaborative than for coherence inference failures, indicating children are less aware which information is relevant for elaborative inferences — related
• The comprehension-skill difference in inference making persists after controlling for memory for the text and delayed retention of the knowledge base — related
• Skilled comprehenders recall more literal story content than less skilled comprehenders, but the groups do not differ significantly in interpreting novel similes — related
• Less skilled comprehenders make fewer knowledge-based coherence and elaborative inferences than skilled comprehenders even when the relevant knowledge is equally available — related
• Skilled comprehenders show superior one-week retention of a taught knowledge base despite comparable immediate recall — related
• Gaps in source knowledge hinder source-credibility judgments, particularly inferences about benevolence — related