Biomedical subjects

J E Albrecht

Publications and source records attributed to J E Albrecht.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1992

Comprehension strategies in the development of a mental model.

It is generally assumed that the comprehension strategy used in the development of a mental model for narrative texts focuses on information that is relevant to the protagonist. Experiments 1a and 1b confirmed that readers remain sensitive to the location of the protagonist even when strategies based on text-base level representations predict this information should not be active. Experiments 2 and 3 tested the stronger claim that readers adopt the perspective of the protagonist. Ss did not notice information that was contradictory from the perspective of the protagonist unless explicitly instructed to adopt that perspective. It was concluded that, at the level of the mental model, readers focus on information relevant to the protagonist but that they do not adopt the perspective of the protagonist unless characteristics of the text induce such a strategy.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

Effects of centrality on retrieval of text-based concepts.

Four experiments examined the effect of centrality on retrieval time using a wide range of testing conditions. Subjects read passages containing concepts that were rated as central, moderately central, or peripheral to a passage, and then were asked to retrieve those concepts. Experiment 1 used a probe recognition task that contained foils that were unrelated to the passage, and it was found that central concepts were recognized more quickly than peripheral concepts. In Experiment 2, the foils were passage related, resulting in a much larger recognition advantage of central concepts over peripheral concepts. Experiment 3 used a speeded-recall task. Again central concepts were recalled more quickly than less central concepts. Experiment 4 ruled out a simple strength argument. The results of all four experiments are discussed in terms of text being represented as an integrated network. Within this network, central concepts are more interconnected, providing additional access routes that facilitate retrieval.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed1990

Antecedent retrieval processes.

In three experiments we examined the nature of the search for antecedents during reading. Subjects read passages that contained two possible antecedents: one appearing early in the passages and the other appearing late. The degree of elaboration was varied, with one antecedent receiving additional elaboration for half the passages and the other antecedent receiving additional elaboration for the remaining half. Reading time differences from the first two experiments demonstrated that late antecedents are reinstated more quickly than early antecedents and elaborated antecedents are reinstated more quickly than nonelaborated antecedents. Experiment 1 showed that concepts that fall in the path of an antecedent search can be activated by the search. Experiments 2 and 3 showed that this activation is restricted to concepts that are from the same general category as the target antecedent.

Attention↗