Inferential Processes in Discourse Comprehension

old_uid2156
titleInferential Processes in Discourse Comprehension
start_date2007/01/30
schedule15h45
onlineno
location_infoMPI big conference room
summaryA crucial component of successful text comprehension is the construction of a coherent representation of the text. The construction of a coherent representation depends, in turn, on the generation of inferences by which individual text elements are connected to each other and to background knowledge. Several experiments on the inference-generation process will be described. The results suggest that at each point during reading the inferential process combines automatic, spread of activation processes as well as more strategic, coherence-oriented processes, operating both on the reader’s semantic knowledge and on the mental representation of the text developed so far. A computational model in which these individual processes are integrated will be presented and tested, and the preliminary results of two neuro-imaging (MEG) studies based on this model will be described.
responsiblesZondervan