ABSTRACT

Inferring is the process of creating a personal meaning from text. It involves a mental process of combining what is read with relevant prior knowledge (schema). Inference-generation is not an all-or-none process, i.e., inferences are generated at various degrees of strength, from automatic to strategic processes. When proficient readers infer, they create a meaning that is not necessarily stated explicitly in the text. The process implies that readers actively search for, or are aware of, implicit meaning. There has been considerable controversy over matters of processes of inference generation. Therefore in this article, we will discuss some issues related to mechanisms involve in inference generation: What inferences are generated? When are they generated? What specifically do they add to the reader's representation(s) of the text? What sources of information need when inferences are generated? What cognitive processes and representations produce inferences during comprehension?

KEYWORDS: constructionism, inferences, mental models, minimalism, reading, text comprehension