ABSTRACT
This chapter is concerned with comprehension; in particular, with an attempt to define some of the structures and processes that comprise the human comprehension system. It describes a more powerful model that begins to describe the macroprocessing component of comprehension. The chapter focuses on two components of the comprehension system: the interaction between text propositions and world knowledge structures, and the use and nature of text-driven comprehension strategies. It discusses expository texts depend to a lesser extent upon causal plan/goal structures; this lesser constraint can be seen in many of the texts. As a temporary solution to this problem, the present model works with text elements—these structures are similar to propositions, but they specify the low-level semantic relations that a parser would derive from a text. The model views the macroproposition formation process as an attempt to find a proposition that can summarize the micropropositions in working memory at the time the macrolevel processes are initiated.
