Updating a Situation Model O'Brien, Edward J; Rizzella, Michelle L; Albrecht, Jason E ...
Journal of experimental psychology. Learning, memory, and cognition,
09/1998, Volume:
24, Issue:
5
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Previous research (
J. E.
Albrecht & E. J. O'Brien, 1993
) demonstrated that
readers were aware of an inconsistency between an earlier described
characteristic of a protagonist and a subsequent ...target action
carried out by the protagonist. In a series of 5 experiments, a
qualification was added to the described characteristic that
restricted the conditions under which the characteristic was
operative. According to the here-and-now view of mapping, readers
should use this qualification to maintain a fully updated model of
the protagonist in active memory and should not experience
comprehension difficulty when reading the target action. In
contrast, according to the memory-based text processing view, the
qualification would not be part of the active discourse model.
Instead, it would be reactivated when the target action was read.
Thus, readers should still experience comprehension difficulty.
Results of all 5 experiments were consistent with the memory-based
text processing view.
Multi-length scale modeling is performed to (i) predict the carburized case depth of SAE8620 steel gears by solving the Fick’s second law of diffusion, (ii) model the martensitic microstructure ...evolution in a grain inside the carburized case as well as to study the effect of stress cycling on retained austenite (RA) and martensite using a 3D phase-field model, (iii) simulate the effect of carburization and different RA contents on macroscale fatigue behavior of SAE8620 steel spur gear using the finite element method. The diffusion model predicts that the case depth increases with increasing heat treatment time and temperature. The phase-field simulations show that RA can transform to martensite during fatigue loading, where the extent of the transformation will depend on the type of stresses applied, i.e. stresses in a high stress regime or low stress regime of fatigue loading. Reverse transformation of martensite to austenite is also observed in low RA sample under high stress regime. The macroscale simulations show that the carburized case with high RA gives rise to better fatigue life compared to that with low RA.
Updating a Mental Model Albrecht, Jason E; O'Brien, Edward J
Journal of experimental psychology. Learning, memory, and cognition,
09/1993, Volume:
19, Issue:
5
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
In 2 experiments we investigated whether readers experience comprehension difficulty when they read texts in which local coherence is maintained but global incoherence is introduced. Ss read passages ...containing an elaborate description of a main character presented early in the text that was inconsistent with actions carried out by the main character later in the text. In Experiment 1, reading times for critical sentences were significantly longer when the earlier description and the critical sentences were inconsistent. In Experiment 2, resolution of global inconsistencies improved memory for the regions of the text that involved the inconsistencies. The results are discussed within a mental model approach to comprehension in which readers attempt to maintain both local and global coherence.
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.
Maintaining Global Coherence During Reading Myers, Jerome L; O'Brien, Edward J; Albrecht, Jason E ...
Journal of experimental psychology. Learning, memory, and cognition,
07/1994, Volume:
20, Issue:
4
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Previous research demonstrated a contradiction effect: Although text currently being processed was locally coherent, readers were aware of inconsistencies between a protagonist's actions and ...characteristics of the protagonists that were described earlier in the text and subsequently backgrounded. In the present experiments, not only the critical characteristics but also the protagonist were backgrounded. When the protagonist was reintroduced into the narrative in the context of carrying out an inconsistent action, the contradiction effect again occurred. In Experiments 1-3, we examined the effects of several variables on the onset of the effect. In Experiment 4, we presented probes at various points in the passage with results that supported the conclusion that the critical characteristics had been backgrounded before the sentence that contradicted them. Results are discussed in terms of several recent models in which currently active representational elements serve as retrieval cues for other inactive, but highly related, elements.
Accessing Global Causes During Reading Rizzella, Michelle L; O'Brien, Edward J
Journal of experimental psychology. Learning, memory, and cognition,
09/1996, Volume:
22, Issue:
5
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
In 4 experiments, the authors examined whether readers accessed distant causal antecedents for consequent events when the text was locally coherent and a more recent causal antecedent was available. ...Participants read passages that contained 2 possible causal antecedents for a consequent event; 1 appeared early in the passage, and the other appeared late. The early causal antecedent was elaborated in half of the passages, and neither causal antecedent was elaborated in the remaining half. Experiments 1A and 1B demonstrated that when the more distant, early causal antecedent had been elaborated, both it and the more recent, late causal antecedent were active in memory following the consequent event. In Experiments 2A and 2B, both causal antecedents were backgrounded prior to reading the consequent event. When neither causal antecedent had been elaborated, only the late causal antecedent was reactivated by the consequent event. However, when the early causal antecedent had been elaborated, only it was reactivated. Results are discussed in terms of several recent models of comprehension.
In 3 experiments, the nature of the search for antecedents during reading was investigated by examination of the effects of reinstatement on long-term memory for potential antecedents. Participants ...read passages that contained 2 possible antecedents; one appearing early in the passages and the other appearing late. Experiment 1 showed that reinstated antecedents were strengthened in long-term memory whereas potential but nonselected antecedents that fell in the path of an antecedent search were suppressed. Experiments 2 and 3 showed that this suppression was restricted to concepts that shared a high degree of featural overlap with the target antecedent and with the anaphoric phrase prompting the search. Results are discussed in terms of antecedent search as a resonance process.
An implicit assumption of several causal reasoning models is that readers adopt the goals of a narrative's protagonist during text comprehension. In apparent violation of this assumption, readers ...participating in Experiment 1 of the present study drew inferences relevant to a protagonist's goal even when that goal was already satisfied from the perspective of the protagonist. In Experiments 2 and 3, participants were explicitly asked to view the text situation from the point of view of the protagonist. In this case, the goals of the reader and the protagonist should be the same. In these experiments, participants focused on the goals of the protagonist only when those goals had not been satisfied from the perspective of the protagonist. These results are discussed in terms of reader-and character-based perspectives and in terms of text characteristics that cue perspective taking.
The goal of the present experiments was to examine the accessibility of concepts embedded within text.
J. A. Albrecht and E. J. O'Brien (1991)
found that with narrative texts central concepts are ...more quickly retrieved than peripheral concepts. In contrast,
F. R. Yekovich and C. H. Walker (1986)
found that when concepts are embedded within scripts, peripheral concepts are more quickly retrieved than central concepts. Over 13 experiments, central concepts were generally more quickly accessed than peripheral concepts. The only exception occurs when (a) script-based texts are used, (b) the number of mentions or elaboration of central and peripheral concepts is held constant, and (c) the measure of centrality is theme relatedness rather than degree of interconnectedness. Under those conditions, central concepts are more difficult to access than peripheral concepts.
Five experiments were conducted to examine the type of information in the representation of a passage that may be activated during a search for antecedent information. Experiment 1 demonstrated that, ...with supporting context, concepts not even present in the representation of a passage become active during an antecedent search. Experiment 2 confirmed that the activation of these concepts occurred during reinstatement. Experiment 3 showed that if the activation of these concepts is sufficiently high, readers may infer and incorrectly retrieve these concepts instead of the correct antecedent. Experiments 4 and 5 confirmed that inferencing of these concepts occurred during retrieval and not during initial reading of the passage. It is proposed that antecedent retrieval is a strategic process in which readers can either find and retrieve an antecedent or generate a likely candidate on the basis of information activated during the search.
