The emergence of the contextual role of the e-book in cognitive processes through an ecological and functional analysis

An electronic book is a new means of presenting text, allowing downloading of documents and multiple readings on a portable computer. On the basis of an ecological and functional analysis of paper and electronic books with the ion Hierarchy method, we tested the ability of a mobile e-book device to be an external memory trigger, assisting the recall of information content through its presence as a contextual index. In contrast to the classical experimental approach for research on reading and comprehension, we consider screen and paper as relevant cognitive tools per se. Specifically, we compare a book on a pocket computer and a paper book. Hypothesising that the physical reading support could serve as a contextual cue for memory, we experimented with groups of participants who could or could not see the support during recall. We measured the reading time, and the material later recalled was classified according to its cognitive nature. After recall, participants had to assess the sensory-motor properties of the reading support with the Osgood semantic differential and to note the humour level of the text. Results show that the e-book presence hinders recall of assimilated information whilst the presence of the paper support tends to facilitate it. Finally, we observed some correlation between sensory-motor assessment of the support and certain aspects of text cognitive processing: humour scoring, reading time and recall performance. These results lead us to conclude there is a critical relation between the sensory-motor experience of the support and the cognitive processing of the text content. This relationship might explain the positive or negative contextual effect of the support on recall performance.