ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the processes whereby readers construct Context Models and the contents of those models. Readers' Mental Models of reading contexts may involve a very large set of physical and social components. The chapter proposes to categorize Context Model elements into five categories: the request, the requester, the audience, the supports and obstacles, and the readers' assessment of themselves (the self) as both performers of the task and as individuals fulfilling a social role by achieving the task goal. The Task Model is a set of specific goals and action plans that readers initially establish, then follow, and sometimes update as they progress toward achieving the reading goal. A Task Model is a more active memory representation that a reader dynamically updates as they progress through the reading task. The three primary Task Model elements are: goals, plans, and values for those goals.
