ERIC Number: EJ772170
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007
Pages: 28
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0163-853X
EISSN: N/A
Processing and Representing Temporal Information in Narrative Text
Therriault, David J.; Raney, Gary E.
Discourse Processes: A Multidisciplinary Journal, v43 n2 p173-200 2007
According to current theories in discourse research, readers monitor a series of 5 situational dimensions during narrative comprehension (Zwaan, Langston, & Graesser, 1995; Zwaan & Radvansky, 1998). These dimensions are time (e.g., the order of events), space (e.g., locations), protagonist (e.g., main character actions), causality (e.g., how one event influences another event), and intentionality (e.g., goals). These experiments were designed to further explore how readers process and represent time (duration) in situation-model construction. In 3 experiments, we examined how duration-related inconsistencies influenced processing time and processing strategies. Results indicate that readers routinely monitor the duration of events and detect temporal inconsistencies even when temporal information is implicitly presented. This provides evidence for the representation of duration information in situation models.
Descriptors: Reading Comprehension, Discourse Analysis, Story Telling, Experiments, Reading Processes, Models, Reading Research, Time, Context Effect, Time Perspective, Reading Materials
Lawrence Erlbaum. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/default.html
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A