Imagery and Text: A Dual Coding Theory of Reading and Writing

Imagery and Text, Second Edition extends the first edition’s unified theory of cognition in literacy from the perspective of Dual Coding Theory (DCT), one of the most influential and empirically sound theories of cognition ever developed. This theory provides a comprehensive, systematic account of all major aspects of literacy including decoding, comprehension, and response in reading and composing in writing. The Second Edition updates DCT as a scientific theory, a cognitive theory, an embodied theory, and a constructivist theory of literacy. New content includes a detailed account of the decoding process and its integral connection to comprehension, a new program of research on DCT in composing text, a review of neuroscientific support, and increased attention to multimedia literacy, socio-cultural influences, and recent educational applications. More than any other theory, DCT explains how both verbal and nonverbal cognition are woven together through all aspects of literacy. Written in concise chapters with illustrative examples, Imagery and Text is approachable for both students and advanced scholars in the field of literacy.

Mark Sadoski is Director of Educational Development and a Professor in the Department of Humanities in Medicine at the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine and a member of the Department of Educational Psychology and the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Culture at Texas A&M University.

Allan Paivio is Emeritus Professor of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, Canada.