ABSTRACT
This book describes some of the cognitive processes and mechanisms involved in language comprehension using the Structure Building Framework as a guide. According to the Structure Building Framework, the goal of comprehension is to build cohesive, mental representations or structures. The first process involved in building a structure is laying a foundation. The next process involves developing the structure by mapping on incoming information when that information coheres with the previous information. However, when the incoming information is less coherent, comprehenders employ a different process: They shift to initiate a new substructure. Thus, most representations comprise several branching substructures.
