This project is concerned with the investigation, elaboration, and experimental testing of a general theory of text comprehension. The strategies are investigated that people use in constructing a coherent representation of a text, both at the local and global level (macrostructure). Knowledge use plays an important role in these processes. We are not only concerned with text representations per se (the textbase), but also with representing what the text tells a reader about certain aspects of the world (situation models). A series of experiments are proposed to explore these interdependent levels of representation: that of the actual verbal text, of the semantic content and structure of the text, and of the integrated textworld model. Of special interest is the role of inferences. Other experiments concern the dynamics of the comprehension process using priming procedures. Finally, problems of retrieval are considered, both knowledge retrieval and retrieval from episodic text memory. Explicit submodels of the general theory, describing specific experimental tasks and performances, will be developed. This work can provide a basis for studying language processes in normal as well as clinical populations.
