Observes (in three experiments) a spatial gradient of accessibility in situation models. Reports that the accessibility of objects contained in the situation model decreased with increasing spatial distance between the object and the focus of attention in the readers' situation model. Investigates a variety of factors that might influence the…

Tests and confirms two hypotheses about the representation of knowledge in memory: that a person's mental representation of a newly learned body of knowledge has two parts (the information presented, and a product of the person's thinking about it); and that a body of knowledge learned from experience is organized into distinct…

Offers a brief overview of the Structure Building Framework, a simple framework for describing the cognitive processes and mechanisms involved in discourse comprehension. Reviews the seminal work on which it is based (the first decade of structure-building research); and recounts the research conducted by the author to test the Structure Building…

Investigates conscious understanding during narrative comprehension as revealed through use of think-aloud methodology. Presents an analytical model of conscious understanding. Identifies three working memory operations in the protocols--operations which are functionally necessary to inferences in the protocols. Discusses data and current models…

Describes a computational model of high-dimensional context space: the Hyperspace Analog to Language (HAL). Shows that HAL provides sufficient information to make semantic, grammatical, and abstract distinctions. Demonstrates the cognitive compatibility of the representations with human processing; and introduces a new methodology that extracts…

Discusses focusing, the manner in which speakers center attention on a particular element of discourse, and describes a process model of focusing that specifies what syntactic, semantic, and world knowledge constraints are needed for a hearer to track a speaker's focus in a discourse. (FL)

Proposes a model of the reader's understanding of simple narrative texts, such as fables. Tests this model by using point generation and fable comprehension data from adult subjects. Identifies three components needed for understanding a fable's moral. Argues that data support the theory propounded. (HB)

Proposes a top-down procedural model for the dynamic extraction and use of context structure to resolve references. (FL)