The effect of inductively versus deductively organized text on American and Japanese readers

When document designers localize documents for readers in other cultures, they should consider what text organization will best suit those readers. The study presented examines American and Japanese readers' comprehension of and preference for expository text that contains a thesis and is organized either inductively or deductively. The results revealed that while Americans performed equally well with either organizational structure, Japanese readers recalled more information from inductively organized text. The implications for document designers in English and Japanese speaking countries are discussed.