On babies, bath water, and schemata: A reconsideration of top‐down processes in comprehension

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Abstract
Problems with traditional constructionist views of comprehension, which are often based on schema theories, are reviewed in light of recent evidence that suggests that bottom‐up processes are predominant in comprehension. Three alternative views of the role of top‐down processing in comprehension are also reviewed: (a) the minimalist framework, (b) construction‐integration theory, and (c) schema‐assembly theory. Although each of these views has some merit, none of the views adequately addresses the context‐sensitive nature of top‐down processes in comprehension. A new theoretical framework is proposed that synthesizes elements from each of the three alternative views. The new framework focuses on how distributed activation control (DAC) is maintained by the comprehension system. It is proposed that some elements of schema theories remain important to comprehension if we are to understand how the flow of information activation is controlled in various reading contexts.

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