A number of studies have suggested that native speakers make instrumental inferences while reading. Some studies have also found a significant effect of learning instruction on recall in implicit memory tests. The present study compared a group of 20 University students who were English language learners at a higher level of reading proficiency, with a group of 20 students who were learners of lower reading proficiency, to examine whether the two groups of learners would draw inferences in the same way, and whether they achieve higher recall scores as a result of learning instructions to generate instruments. Results suggest that higher recall scores in the generation group are correlated with higher reading proficiency.

Key words: reading foreign language, implicit memory, instrumental inferences