ABSTRACT
In a text it is commonplace to refer to a given individual by different expressions as the text unfolds. This poses something of a problem for the text processor. A method is introduced for assessing some of the factors influencing the ease of comprehension of such (anaphoric) references, and some preliminary results are described. One problem of interest is the effect of the specificity of the expression used to introduce the individual has on the ease of subsequent integration. A number of alternative theories are outlined, and on the basis of an experiment it is suggested that an appropriately specific expression serves to call up from memory a specific representation (the scenario) that a more general one cannot. It is argued that such a scenario may facilitate the integration of subsequently encountered material. The scenario notion is discussed with respect to other studies designed to test its viability. Although tentative, it would appear to provide a potential lead into a number of aspects of text comprehension.
