ABSTRACT
The conceptualization we propose distinguishes among three levels of encoding and organization:
At a very early stage of processing, the Comprehender interprets input material in terms of low level noun, attribute, and action concepts drawn from the semantic bin in Permanent Storage. Comprehension at this level is postulated to occur automatically and independently of any higher order processing objectives for which the information is ultimately used.
A second stage of encoding occurs when a specific processing objective (e.g., to form an impression of someone, to explain the occurrence of an event, etc.) requires an interpretation of individual pieces of information in terms of more abstract goal-relevant concepts. Thus, people may encode a man’s behaviors in terms of trait concepts in the course of determining whether they would like him, or deciding whether he has attributes that are suitable for a particular job. Or, they may interpret the things that occur in a particular situation as examples of more general, prototypic events in order to decide how to behave in the situation.
At the third, still higher level of encoding, individual pieces of information may be organized into a configuration of interrelated features that in combination function as a single unit of knowledge. For example, in the course of interpreting a number of individual actions, these actions may be organized into a single temporally or causally related sequence. Or, a set of behaviors or traits may be organized around a general concept of the person who possesses them to form a single representation of this person. This type of goal-directed encoding and organization, like the second type noted above, is performed by the Encoder-Organizer rather than the Comprehender, and is specific to processing objectives that exist at the time the information is received.
