Abstract
In two experiments, subjects read a series of passages, each containing two target concepts that appeared in widely separated positions within the passage. Following each passage, the time to retrieve each of these concepts was recorded. Several measures from both the Kintsch and van Dijk (1978) model and Trabasso and Sperry’s (1985) causal analysis were derived to predict retrieval time. Regression analyses showed that substantial proportions of variance were accounted for by measures derived from a causal analysis. Neither physical position nor measures based on the Kintsch and van Dijk model accounted for significant proportions of variance. Following Experiment 2, a reanalysis of O’Brien’s (1987) results revealed that the number of causal connections to an antecedent was a significant predictor of antecedent search time. Results are discussed in terms of a spread of activation through an integrated text representation in which causal connections play a major role.
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This research was supported by NSF Grant BNS83-17900 and NIMH Grant 1R01MH40029-01 awarded to Jerome L. Myers and by NICHD Grant HD17246 awarded to Keith Rayner. We are grateful to Mathew Stanton and Miriam Wade for conducting these experiments and to Jim Chumbley and Chuck Clifton for their many comments during the course of this research.
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O’Brien, E.J., Myers, J.L. The role of causal connections in the retrieval of text. Memory & Cognition 15, 419–427 (1987). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03197731
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03197731