Readers' perceived task demands and their relation to multiple document comprehension strategies and outcome

Abstract Recent research suggests that readers' subjective task understanding influences reading processes and outcomes. Therefore, the present study's aim was to investigate whether the task demands that readers retrospectively report relate to multiple document comprehension strategies and outcome. A total of 310 university students completed three units from a standardized multiple-document comprehension test and answered an open-ended task demands question after each unit. Amongst others, participants comprehended single- and multiple-document activities to be task demands. Comprehending deep-level single-document activities and management activities to be task demands related to corroboration and proactive sourcing, respectively. However, comprehending multiple-document activities to be task demands was related neither to students' multiple-document comprehension nor to their realized multiple-document activities. The data suggest a context schema formation across test units: In later units the participants comprehended more often multiple-document activities and less often surface-level single-document and management activities to be task demands, and conducted more sourcing.