Related Experiment Videos
Role of context in accessing distant information during reading
1Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, USA.
Journal of Experimental Psychology. Learning, Memory, and Cognition
|November 1, 1995
Summary
People notice inconsistencies in stories only when conflicting information is close or the original context is reminded. This impacts how background goal information is accessed and understood.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Psycholinguistics
- Memory Research
Background:
- Understanding how people process and retain information from narratives is crucial.
- Accessibility of background goal information influences comprehension and memory.
- Previous research has explored factors affecting goal accessibility in text.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate factors influencing the accessibility of backgrounded goal information.
- To determine when readers detect inconsistencies related to previously established goals.
- To test predictions from the resonance model of text comprehension.
Main Methods:
- Three experiments were conducted using narrative texts with two episodes.
- Participants read texts where initial goals were either satisfied or unsatisfied.
- Inconsistencies were introduced after an unrelated second episode, testing detection under varying conditions.
Main Results:
- Inconsistency detection occurred when conflicting information was separated by few sentences.
- Detection was also facilitated when the context of the initial goal was reinstated.
- Readers did not notice inconsistencies when the goal context was not re-established.
Conclusions:
- The accessibility of backgrounded goal information is highly context-dependent.
- Narrative comprehension relies on the reinstatement of relevant contextual information.
- Findings support the resonance model's explanation of information accessibility in text.