Language Comprehension As Structure BuildingThis book presents a new theoretical framework -- what Gernsbacher calls the Structure Building Framework -- for understanding language comprehension in particular, and cognitive processing in general. According to this framework, the goal in comprehending both linguistic and nonlinguistic materials is to build a coherent mental representation or "structure" of the information being comprehended. As such, the underlying processes and mechanisms of structure building are viewed as general, cognitive processes and mechanisms. The strength of the volume lies in its empirical detail: a thorough literature review and solid original data. |
From inside the book
Page 1770
... typical-but-absent members of visual scenes? Are less-skilled comprehenders less efficient at suppressing information across modalities? Individual Differences in Enhancement Chapter 6 Conclusions Are less-skilled comprehenders less ...
... typical-but-absent members of visual scenes? Are less-skilled comprehenders less efficient at suppressing information across modalities? Individual Differences in Enhancement Chapter 6 Conclusions Are less-skilled comprehenders less ...
Page v
... typical - but - absent members of visual scenes ? Are less - skilled comprehenders less efficient at suppressing information across modalities ? Individual Differences in Enhancement Are less - skilled comprehenders less efficient at ...
... typical - but - absent members of visual scenes ? Are less - skilled comprehenders less efficient at suppressing information across modalities ? Individual Differences in Enhancement Are less - skilled comprehenders less efficient at ...
Page vii
... typical tea parties among stuffed animals ; I would talk to any- thing : bedposts , crayons , vitamins . Then , during grade school - that is , during the time that I was not standing out in the hall - my teachers were constantly ...
... typical tea parties among stuffed animals ; I would talk to any- thing : bedposts , crayons , vitamins . Then , during grade school - that is , during the time that I was not standing out in the hall - my teachers were constantly ...
Page 1786
Morton Ann Gernsbacher. are also typically their sentences' syntactic subjects (Greenberg, 1963), topics (Givón, ed., 1983), and themes (Tomlin, 1983). So, along many dimensions semantic agents hold an advantage over semantic patients ...
Morton Ann Gernsbacher. are also typically their sentences' syntactic subjects (Greenberg, 1963), topics (Givón, ed., 1983), and themes (Tomlin, 1983). So, along many dimensions semantic agents hold an advantage over semantic patients ...
Page 5
... typically sit before a computer monitor , and each sen- tence of the passage appears in the center of the monitor . Subjects press a button to signal when they have finished reading each sentence ; the sentence then disappears , and ...
... typically sit before a computer monitor , and each sen- tence of the passage appears in the center of the monitor . Subjects press a button to signal when they have finished reading each sentence ; the sentence then disappears , and ...
Contents
1 | |
10 | |
17 | |
25 | |
31 | |
Do comprehenders represent clausal dependencies? | 39 |
The Communicative Function | 46 |
Does Referential Coherence facilitate mapping? | 53 |
What about other levels of anaphoric explicitness? | 133 |
Why are the mechanisms of suppression and enhancement | 137 |
Do cataphoric devices improve their concepts | 145 |
Are cataphorically marked concepts more resistant | 151 |
Suppression and Enhancement | 161 |
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES | 167 |
Individual Differences in Accessing | 175 |
Individual Differences in Suppression | 185 |
Does Causal Coherence facilitate mapping? | 60 |
Do comprehenders quickly forget information after crossing | 70 |
Why do comprehenders quickly forget the exact form | 72 |
Do comprehenders build separate substructures to represent | 78 |
Chapter 4 | 84 |
Are inappropriate meanings mutually inhibited? | 94 |
Does suppression dampen less relevant associations | 104 |
How does an anaphors referent become most activated? | 110 |
Why are concepts as activated before pronouns as after? | 117 |
Do more explicit pronouns trigger suppression more powerfully? | 126 |
Are lessskilled comprehenders less efficient at suppressing | 186 |
information across modalities? | 197 |
Individual Differences in Enhancement | 203 |
CONCLUSIONS | 211 |
Summary | 222 |
How is the Structure Building Framework similar to other | 231 |
What is lost by describing language comprehension at | 239 |
REFERENCES | 245 |
INDEX | 277 |
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Common terms and phrases
According activated Advantage ambiguous words anaphors appeared appropriate ASHTRAY associations bars become beginning cataphoric clause cognitive coherence comprehended information concepts condition Consider constructed context delay demonstrate described developing display effects episode example experiment experimental explanation explicit faster Figure first-mentioned participants forget foundation Gernsbacher half hear hypothesis illustrates immediately inappropriate meanings inferences initial instance introduced John Journal language laying Learning less less-skilled comprehenders linguistic Lisa longer mapping marked measured mechanism of suppression memory mental structures Mention nonreferents nouns objects occur phrases picture picture stories predicted presented processes pronouns Psychology reaction recently comprehended referential referents representations represented second-mentioned semantic sentence shift signal skill speakers spoken stories stressed Structure Building Framework subjects substructure suppression and enhancement syntactic Table tences test names test words third Tina tion topic trials trigger typically unrelated Verbal verbs versions versus written