How do headings affect text‐processing?

This study assessed the effects of headings on text processing behaviors during immediate and delayed testing. Sixty‐five undergraduate students read an expository passage, answered questions about major ideas and supporting details, and then identified the placement of answers to questions using a prototype of the text Headings did not appear to affect overall comprehension or overall answer location accuracy. However, those subjects in the heading group who answered major idea questions correctly were better able to use the prototype to locate the place where answers appeared than were subjects who read the text that did not contain headings. Implications are drawn for the effects of headings on the relation between task variables and for further research employing a text search condition.