Welcome to the Reading Comprehension & Cognition (RCC) Lab website. The lab’s principal investigator, Dr. Stiegler-Balfour, explores applied questions of human cognition and memory, with an emphasis on reading comprehension and learning processes. Through this research program, the lab investigates various factors, including text characteristics, individual differences, and new technologies like digital reading and audiobooks, impact comprehension and recall. With this interdisciplinary approach, the lab’s research seeks to optimize reading environments and develop strategies to improve comprehension for diverse learners.
In the RRC lab, we explore the following key areas:
- Impact of new technologies on reading comprehension: Investigates how digital reading formats, such as e-readers and audiobooks, affect comprehension when compared to print, with a focus on the challenges encountered by lower-skilled readers.
- Individual differences and other barriers to comprehension: Examines how individual cognitive differences, such as reading comprehension skill, influence comprehension, as well as how in-text features like APA-style citations can hinder comprehension for some readers.
- Cognitive processes involved in reading comprehension: Focuses on the mental mechanisms behind reading, including how readers monitor information like spatial information in text, with implications for improving reading strategies and addressing comprehension difficulties.
Contact the lab to learn more about this research or about undergraduate student opportunities to work as a member of the lab team. Our team is here Monday – Friday from 9 am to 5 pm ET during the semester (207-602-2031).
Visit our Instagram and Facebook page or “What we are up to” tab for recent updates!