Cognitive Aspects of Web-based Hypertext: An experimental approach

This paper reports on a pilot study that is concerned with the cognitive aspects of reading in an electronic environment. The study focuses on text based electronic documents. A cognitive model for hypertext document reading proposed in an earlier work is here developed and validated with the use of think aloud protocols. The model is concerned with the general cognitive processes that take place during reading a hypertext. Navigational strategies that readers employ in hypertext reading and hypertext links’ selection are also under study along with the effect of different reading goals on comprehension. The preliminary results from the think aloud protocols show that 100% of the task related data correspond to the components of the cognitive model, allowing us to conclude that the proposed model sufficiently describes the cognitive processes involved in hypertext reading. In addition, three navigational strategies are revealed, linear, mixed, and mixed review. The quantitative data show no significant differences between different reading goals on comprehension and on the amount of text read. Key-Words: Hypertext, Think Aloud Protocols, Electronic Learning, Locating Information, Text Understanding.