Abstracts - Earli

epistemological beliefs, based on a questionnaire concerning beliefs about knowledge aboutclimate and how one comes to know about climate. We performed two 2 x 3 between-subjectsanalyses of covariance with adjustment made for gender, age, word decoding, and priorknowledge. Independent variables in each analysis were epistemological beliefs (nañve andsophisticated) and task (elaborative summary, argumentation, and global understanding). In thefirst analysis, the epistemology groups were formed according to a median split on certaintybeliefs; in the second, they were formed according to a median split on simplicity beliefs. Thedependent variable in each analysis was intertextual understanding. Both analyses showedsignificant interactions between task and epistemological beliefs. Compared to readers with nañveepistemological beliefs, those holding sophisticated beliefs seemed to profit from theargumentation task, whereas their intertextual understanding seemed to be hindered wheninstructed to impart a global understanding of the topic. Under the last condition, readers withsophisticated beliefs even seemed to be outperformed by readers holding nañve beliefs.On-line evidence of integration of information from multiple documentsEduardo Vidal-Abarca, University of Valencia, SpainLaura Gil, University of Valencia, SpainRaquel Cerdan, University of Valencia, SpainHigh-school and college readers often read multiple documents in order to write essays, for whichthey have to select and integrate information across documents. Our aim in this paper is to provideon-line evidence of the integration processes from two different experiments in which either thetask (experiment 1) or the context (experiment 2) were manipulated to enhance the integrationprocesses in the experimental group over the control group. The general idea is to prove thatexperimental conditions improve the integration of information measured by off-line measures,and then to show how on-line measures may explain that improvement. Reading times and thinkaloudmethods were used in the first experiment, whereas just the former one was employed in thesecond experiment. Results from both on-line methods give support to off-line results.The effects of ontological classification on learning from multiple documents on the Inter-netMarc Stadtler, University of Munster, GermanyRainer Bromme, University of Münster, GermanyThe widespread use of learning from multiple texts both in higher education and in scenarios ofinformal learning (e.g., Internet research) has led text comprehension research to acknowledge theneed for a better understanding of how learners synthesize information across multiple documents.We examined the computer-tool met.a.ware, which enables readers to classify their notes takenfrom multiple documents on the Internet according to a set of ontological categories. We alsoinvestigated whether ontological categories provide representational guidance and thereby impacton the contents readers deal with during Internet research (cf., Suthers & Hundhausen, 2003). Wefinally examined whether ontological classification leads to improved knowledge acquisition ascould again be concluded from the theory of representational guidance. 40 university students withlow medical knowledge were asked to conduct an Internet search on a medical topic. Participantseither took notes with met.a.ware (N = 20) or with a blank text window (N = 20). Searching timewas limited to 40 min. Participants used met.a.ware efficiently to structure their notes, as themajority of notes were classified in accordance with the predefined set of ontological categories. Incontrast, participants working without ontological classification did not actively structure theirnotes. Furthermore, the salience of ontological categories stimulated laypersons to seek newelements of the categories at hand, revealing an effect of representational guidance. However,– 495 –