TY - JOUR
T1 - Situation-Based Inferences During Narrative Comprehension
AU - Morrow, Daniel G.
AU - Bower, Gordon H.
AU - Greenspan, Steven L.
N1 - Funding Information:
The research reported here was supported by postdoctoral grants 1 F32 NS 07390-01BNS and MH 15157-08, and grant MH 13950-16 from the National Institute of Mental Health. Steven Greenspan is a consultant at AT&T Bell Laboratories.
Copyright:
Copyright 2018 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 1990/1/1
Y1 - 1990/1/1
N2 - This chapter describes situation-based inferences that readers make during narrative comprehension and the distinction between text-based inferences and situation-based inferences. Text-based inferences are backward directed in the sense that readers apparently do not draw these inferences at the time they are invited by a sentence; but the inferences are only drawn later when they are required to connect together subsequent sentences into a coherent text base. Situation-based inferences differ from text-based inferences in at least two ways. First, in addition to aiding text coherence, situation-based inferences are used to understand the writer's intended situations. That is, readers are likely to use background knowledge whenever they assume the writer intended them to use this knowledge to understand the situations. In other words, background knowledge is used as a first rather than a last resort when it is a salient part of the common ground between reader and writer. Second, situation-based inferences are directed forward rather than backward, because readers tend to draw them as these inferences are implied as relevant to the described situations rather than later as they become necessary for coherence. The chapter discusses three experiments that underline the importance of situation-based inferences for understanding narratives.
AB - This chapter describes situation-based inferences that readers make during narrative comprehension and the distinction between text-based inferences and situation-based inferences. Text-based inferences are backward directed in the sense that readers apparently do not draw these inferences at the time they are invited by a sentence; but the inferences are only drawn later when they are required to connect together subsequent sentences into a coherent text base. Situation-based inferences differ from text-based inferences in at least two ways. First, in addition to aiding text coherence, situation-based inferences are used to understand the writer's intended situations. That is, readers are likely to use background knowledge whenever they assume the writer intended them to use this knowledge to understand the situations. In other words, background knowledge is used as a first rather than a last resort when it is a salient part of the common ground between reader and writer. Second, situation-based inferences are directed forward rather than backward, because readers tend to draw them as these inferences are implied as relevant to the described situations rather than later as they become necessary for coherence. The chapter discusses three experiments that underline the importance of situation-based inferences for understanding narratives.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77957025451&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=77957025451&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S0079-7421(08)60252-2
DO - 10.1016/S0079-7421(08)60252-2
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:77957025451
SN - 0079-7421
VL - 25
SP - 123
EP - 135
JO - Psychology of Learning and Motivation - Advances in Research and Theory
JF - Psychology of Learning and Motivation - Advances in Research and Theory
IS - C
ER -