A Cognitive Model of Coherence-Driven Story Comprehension

Current models of story comprehension have three major deficiencies: (1) lack of experimental support for the inference processes they involve (e.g. reliance on prediction); (2) indifference to 'kinds' of coherence (e.g. local and global); and (3) inability to find interpretations at variable depths. I propose that comprehension is driven by the need to find a representation that reaches a 'coherence threshold'. Variable inference processes are a reflection of different thresholds, and the skepticism of an individual inference process determines how thresholds are reached.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 1998
• Where: ACL
• Authors: Elliot Smith
• Keywords: ACL 1998, ACL 2007, Inference Processes, Story Comprehension, Variable Inference Processes