The Time-Course of Constructing Knowledge-Based Inferences for Scientific Texts

• Published in: Journal of memory and language Vol. 33; no. 5; pp. 583 - 599
• Main Authors: Millis, K.K., Graesser, A.C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Elsevier Inc 01.10.1994; Academic Press; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Cognition & reasoning; Reading; Science
• ISSN: 0749-596X; 1096-0821
• DOI: 10.1006/jmla.1994.1028

Causal antecedent and causal consequence inferences were measured during the comprehension of short scientific texts. In Experiment 1, the tests were presented via a rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) procedure in conjunction with a lexical decision task. Subjects supplied lexical decision judgements on inference words, unrelated words, and nonwords at 540 or 1040 ms after the RSVP presentation of each sentence. Causal antecedent but not causal consequence inferences were encoded by both delay intervals. In Experiment 2, the subjects controlled the presentation rate of all words except the sentence-final words. In this case, causal antecedents were encoded by the 1040 ms delay but not by the 540 ms delay. The results were consistent with prior empirical research conducted on narrative text: readers generated inferences that supply casual coherence, but there was no evidence that readers generated elaborative expectations.