The Effect of Underlined Text on Analogical Problem-Solving

Abstract

This study examines the effect of underlining key points to promote the comprehension of analogical problems in sentence form. The problems used convergent storylines that led to a solution. In Experiment 1, when learning an analogical story, we underlined the parts of the story that were involved in finding the solution, and also underlined the key story points. As a result, the points emphasized by underlining did not promote knowledge acquisition, but activities involved in underline creation did promote the acquisition of knowledge. In Experiment 2, four groups were set up to examine the cognitive effects of underlining. The first group was provided with instructions that prompted the underlining process. The second group was provided with instructions underlined the key story points with time limit. The third group first compared the importance of the essential sentences, and then created the underlines. The fourth group was asked to only summarize the sentences. Results showed that problem-solving performance was somewhat enhanced by asking subjects to perform deep processing of the underlined part of the story. Results also indicated that when underlining was performed while comparing important story parts with others, it was also effective. Therefore, it could be understood that underlining facilitated deep-cognitive processing in the learner. Moreover, there was also an effect that promoted the reconstruction of knowledge. Finally, based on past cognitive research, the effect on the cognitive process of seeing underlined text and when creating underlining was discussed.