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Reinstatement of causal information during reading
Summary
Readers quickly recall earlier information when it explains a current event. This study shows how backgrounded causes are reinstated during text comprehension, especially after a coherence break.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Psycholinguistics
- Reading Comprehension
Background:
- Understanding how readers reinstate previously presented information is crucial for explaining text comprehension.
- Backgrounded information, though not currently in focus, can be reactivated when needed to make sense of new events.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether previously presented information (causes) is reinstated when readers need to understand the cause of a current action or event.
- To examine factors influencing the reinstatement of backgrounded causal information.
Main Methods:
- An on-line word naming probe task was employed.
- Participants (Ss) were presented with texts and asked to name a probe word related to earlier information.
- Experimental conditions manipulated causal coherence and prior disconfirmation of information.
Main Results:
- Participants named probe words representing earlier causes more quickly after a causal coherence break compared to a neutral sentence.
- Reinstatement of causes occurred regardless of whether original context was included.
- Reinstatement was not observed when the cause had been previously disconfirmed.
Conclusions:
- Readers actively reinstate backgrounded causal information to maintain coherence during text processing.
- The reinstatement of causes is influenced by the presence of coherence breaks and the prior confirmation status of the information.