ABSTRACT

As the reader proceeds through the text, he or she attempts to maintain (1) causal coherence between the focal event (consequent) and antecedents, and (2) sufficient explanation for the encountered events. Because of this reason he will access activated information (van den Broeck, 1990). If the activated information provide sufficient explanation then a connection inferences made and inference processes stopping. If no sufficiency is likely emerge in further inferential activities such reinstatement of prior events. In experiment 1 we systematically manipulated the extent to which various parts of the texts provide sufficient inferential information for a focal event. Using a factorial experimental design we varied the strength of causal relationship between antecedent and consequent (sufficiency/ insufficiency) and word target type. We assumed that response to a test word reflects the state of availability of the concept being tested. The results of lexical decision test following the focal event provide evidence than the sufficiency condition. In experiment 2, we tested if there are differences between low reading span and high reading span subjects in answers to priming task (implicit memory task). The results show that there no differences between the two categories of readers in this task. In experiment 3, we used an explicit memory test. The hypothesis is there is a deficit in reactivated information from long term memory in low reading span subjects due to a lack of efficient inhibitory mechanisms; the deficit is not predicted in the implicit memory task.

KEYWORDS: psycholinguistics, implicit memory, explicit memory, language comprehension