Reading comprehension Gernsbacher’s structure building model: a step by step cognitive process of constructing meaning based on text Step 1: laying the foundation Advantage of first mention: organizing incoming information based on sentence subject, usually the first- mentioned agent or concept Experimental evidence: Shadowing latencies decrease for later words, in other words: Faster reading times at end of clause than at beginning, Dave was studying hard for his statistics midterm Longer reading time on first part of sentence suggest reader is using “Dave” as the conceptual foundation and expect later part of sentence to elaborate on Dave and his activities “studying hard for statistics midterm.”

Step 2: Mapping Later elements mapped onto the Dave foundation. Process involves use of background conceptual knowledge: logical inferences based on text (Dave is taking a stats class, Dave is a student) and beliefs: propositions about how the world works that make the text coherent (Dave is a human, Dave can read and add, etc.). Step 3: Structure shifting Occurs when a sentence introduces a new, but likely related foundation Because the professor had a reputation for giving difficult exams, the students knew they would have to be well- prepared. The lack of any mention of Dave or his activities cues the reader that a foundational shift is necessary. Two new agents are introduced, Professor and students and elements are then mapped onto them. (The prof’s reputation and the student’s knowledge).

Step 4: Connecting across structures: Three “foundations” or conceptual structures are now active in reader’s head (Dave, Professor, Students). They can be connected by common elements (Professor rep for difficult exams and Dave’s studying for a midterm, Students knowing that they have to be well-prepared and Dave studying hard). This processes of connecting across structures is called enhancement). Complementary process is suppression. As new foundations are laid, concepts relevant to old foundations are suppressed. While reading “professor” in second sentence, concept “Dave” is less activated as new info is mapped onto professor concept.

Eye movements during reading Ave fix time= 250ms Planning next saccade =200ms 50ms for “reading” Assumptions: Immediacy: words interpreted immediately, not as part of phrases Eye-mind: pattern of eye movements reflects cognitive processes involved in reading. Longer fix, more complicated processing Bad reader (above), good reader (below). Note more chaotic pattern with more regressions for bad reader Only right at fix point are letters seen clearly. Further from fix point only general word shape perceivable. However, predictions based on word shape used for planning eye movements. Long fix times due to word frequency, familiarity, complexity of text

Reading: Building a situational model As we read, we mentally construct a model of world based on text: situational model To do this we use: implications – intended but not explicitly mentioned reference (Dave studied hard for his statistics midterm). Implication: Dave is a student. Inferences: constructing connections between concepts in the text - bridging: connections that related concepts not directly connected in text - authorized: intended connections - unauthorized: unintended connections Now somewhere in the black mountain hills of Dakota There lived a young boy named Rocky Raccoon And one day his woman ran off with another guy (Authorized inference: She don’t love Rocky no more; Unauthorized inference: She was kidnapped) Hit young Rocky in the eye Rocky didn't like that He said I'm gonna get that boy So one day he walked into town Booked himself a room in the local saloon (Bridging inference: Rocky’s looking for his gal and her new guy probably for revenge) Building a situational model!

Updating situational models As people read they envision themselves in the narrative world from the perspective of the main character. As the narrative progresses, readers update their situational model along a number of dimensions: Space: where are characters located? Time: when are events occurring? Intentions: what is (are) the character(s) goals? Causality: who or what was responsible for what? Ex: Updating in space Sentence: Wilber walked from the reception room (source) to lounge (goal) note: experiment room is path. Then reader is fastest for object probes dealing with goal (tv), slowest for far room probes (crates), in between for near and path room probes (clock or cart).

Conversation Conversational rules: 1.turn-taking: speak – pause – speak – pause etc. 2.Social role awareness: more formal for “superiors” less for “familiars” Protoconversations: early mom-infant interactions involve turn-taking

Putting rules into action Indirect requests and responses (From Clark, 1979). We naturally assume an indirect request as direct because otherwise the both the request and response are irrelevant and trivial and therefore unnecessary as topics of conversation