A theory of inference generation during text comprehension
- 1 January 1993
- journal article
- editorial
- Published by Taylor & Francis in Discourse Processes
- Vol. 16 (1-2) , 145-160
- https://doi.org/10.1080/01638539309544833
Abstract
An adequate theory of inference generation should accurately predict whether particular classes of knowledge‐based inferences are generated “on‐line” during text comprehension. This article proposes a theory which can account for available empirical findings in cognitive psychology and discourse processing, including those reported in this issue of Discourse Processes. The proposed “constructionist” theory incorporates: (a) the goals of the reader, (b) explanations of why actions and events in the text occur, (c) coherence at local and global levels, and (d) the activation of inferences from multiple information sources.Keywords
This publication has 39 references indexed in Scilit:
- Do readers construct spatial representations in naturalistic story comprehension?Discourse Processes, 1993
- The role of predictive inferences in situation model constructionDiscourse Processes, 1993
- Network representations of causal relations in memory for narrative texts: Evidence from primed recognitionDiscourse Processes, 1993
- Superordinate goal inferences: Are they automatically generated during comprehension?Discourse Processes, 1993
- The time course of generating causal antecedent and causal consequence inferencesDiscourse Processes, 1993
- Understanding text: Achieving explanatory coherence through on‐line inferences and mental operations in working memoryDiscourse Processes, 1993
- Predicting propositional logic inferences in text comprehensionJournal of Memory and Language, 1990
- Logical necessity and transitivity of causal relations in storiesDiscourse Processes, 1989
- The role of knowledge in discourse comprehension: A construction-integration model.Psychological Review, 1988
- Scripts in memory for textCognitive Psychology, 1979