ABSTRACT
The construction of narrative representations from new information obviously requires prior knowledge about the type of persons, objects, and events to which the information refers. This knowledge, which often has implications for features that are not specified in the information presented, can sometimes include episode models of specific past experiences that have features in common with the new one. However, it can also consist of generalized narrative representations that are composed of object and event concepts that the new information exemplifies. As noted in chapter 1, these latter representations often function as implicit theories that individuals apply in comprehending new experiences and construing their implications.
