ABSTRACT
A central goal of the study of discourse processes is to provide an account of the comprehension of complex messages. No text genre has received more attention in the psychological literature than the story. In many cultures, stories are used to entertain and to convey lessons or morals. In our culture, in particular, stories typically describe the trials and tribulations of one or more main characters. The main character is faced with a problem to solve, a goal to attain, or an obstacle to overcome. Table 8.1 presents a simple story, called "The King and his Daughters," in outline form (Mandler & Johnson, 1977). This story presents the goal of the heroes of rescuing the daughters, and recounts their attempts to achieve the goal. Statements 1 to 20 each convey a small number of propositions.
