Apart from the procedural information that describes how a device should be operated, instructions for use include different types of declarative information, such as information about the internal working of the device (system information) and information about the circumstances in which the different functions can be used (utilization information). In this study, the use and the effects of system and utilization information are investigated in a number of experiments. The results demonstrate that users spend a considerable amount of time on reading each information type. However, contrary to common belief, system information has only limited effects; utilization information does not affect task performance at all. Moreover, users of instructions without declarative information are more confident in their ability to learn to work with the device and consider the learning process less difficult than users of instructions with declarative information. These results suggest that users of instructions without system and utilization information are capable to use other information sources such as the procedural information and the interface of the device to derive the required declarative knowledge.

People who use software manuals want to get something done. Procedural information directly supports this goal, but the use of declarative information in manuals has often been under discussion. Current research gives rise to the expectation that manual users tend to skip declarative information most of the time. Also, no effects of declarative information in software manuals have yet been found. In this study, information use and information effects in software manuals are investigated in three experiments, thereby taking different user types, different task types and different information arrangements into account. A new technique was applied: the click&read method. This technique enables the software user to use the manual and carry out software tasks at the same time while information selection and times are recorded automatically in logfiles. For the first time, quantitative data are presented about the amounts of procedural and declarative information that were selected and the times that were spent using these information types. Although procedural information is selected more often and used longer, declarative information appears to be a substantial part of the information selection. Moreover, the results show that using declarative information positively affects performance on future tasks, performance on reasoning tasks and factual knowledge.

The twenty papers of this volume - published to honour Gunnel Tottie - are of interest to everyone concerned with the study of the English language. The collection is a convincing argument for an approach to language studies based on the analysis of computerized corpora. Though this is not an introduction to the field but a series of highly specialized studies, readers get a good overview of the work being done at present in English computer corpus studies. English corpus linguistics, though basically concerned with the study of varieties of English, goes far beyond the simple ordering and counting of large numbers of examples but is deeply concerned with linguistic theory - based on real language data. The volume includes sections on corpora of written and spoken present-day English, historical corpora, contrastive corpora, and on the application of corpus studies to teaching purposes.

The passive construction in Dutch represents a long-standing problem both in linguistics and in written communications. This book proposes a new analysis of the passive in Dutch, integrating insights from theoretical (especially cognitive) linguistics and rhetoric/composition. The point of departure is the observation that the Dutch passive has a demonstrable perspective effect in texts: the passive discourages identification with the agent, and this in fact is the meaning of the Dutch passive construction. This meaning forms the basis for a solution to a number of text problems, including the problem of how to best use the passive in computer manuals. We can also understand the passive's role in specific texts. For example, it becomes clear why policy paper writers use so many passives. Finally, in one of the case studies it is shown why passives were used differently in the NRC Handelsblad, a Rotterdam daily newspaper, and in the Parool, from Amsterdam, when they both reported that Ajax, Amsterdam's football team, became the national soccer champion.

People who use software manuals want to get something done. Procedural information directly supports this goal, but the use of declarative information in manuals has often been under discussion. Current research gives rise to the expectation that manual users tend to skip declarative information most of the time. Also, no effects of declarative information in software manuals have yet been found. In this study, information use and information effects in software manuals are investigated in three experiments, thereby taking different user types, different task types and different information arrangements into account. A new technique was applied: the click&read method. This technique enables the software user to use the manual and carry out software tasks at the same time while information selection and times are recorded automatically in logfiles. For the first time, quantitative data are presented about the amounts of procedural and declarative information that were selected and the times that were spent using these information types. Although procedural information is selected more often and used longer, declarative information appears to be a substantial part of the information selection. Moreover, the results show that using declarative information positively affects performance on future tasks, performance on reasoning tasks and factual knowledge.

Do you know a child with social learning challenges? Do they struggle to see the big picture, be flexible, take the perspective of others, problem solve in real time, and/or read nonverbal communication? Do they have trouble connecting with others by sharing meaningful memories or making plans for the near and distant future? Is it hard for them to express their emotions calmly using language - often getting upset instead? These skills are needed in every interaction and social opportunity that we have in life, but for a child with social learning challenges, they can seem out of reach. Wouldn't it be great if there was a way that you could support growth in these areas for someone you care about? A method that was woven into everyday interactions and social opportunities? That is what this book is about. It's to help you, the person who cares deeply about someone with social learning challenges, use everyday incidental moments to teach and guide your child's social learning. You might be a therapist or a teacher, or you might be a parent, grandparent, or babysitter. This book was written to help you feel equipped to make a difference, simply by being mindful of your own communication and speaking style. What you say, and how you say it, matters!