ABSTRACT
Some years ago we (Smith and Dechant, 1961; Dechant, 1964) noted that printed pages do not of themselves transmit meaning. The essence of meaning comes at least partly from the mind of the reader. Interpretation and comprehension in reading are clearly dependent upon what is stored in the mind of the reader. We further observed that the reader is stimulated by the author's words, but he vests the author's words with his own meaning. Reading typically is the bringing of meaning to rather than the gaining of meaningfrom the printed page. The reader comprehends text more in terms of what he is than in what it is. In reading, the critical element is not what is seen on the page but, rather, what is signified by the written symbol. The critical element in the reading act is the reader's meaningful response to the written symbol. Reading includes the graphic symbol but the primary part of the reading experience is the invoking of meanings and interpretations drawn from the reader's past experiences, and relating them to the symbol.
