1st Edition

Theoretical Issues in Reading Comprehension Perspectives from Cognitive Psychology, Linguistics, Artificial Intelligence and Education

Edited By Rand J. Spiro, Bertram C. Bruce, William F. Brewer Copyright 1980
    604 Pages
    by Routledge

    604 Pages
    by Routledge

    Research in cognitive psychology, linguistics, and artificial intelligence – the three disciplines that have the most direct application to an understanding of the mental processes in reading – is presented in this multilevel work, originally published in 1980, that attempts to provide a systematic and scientific basis for understanding and building a comprehensive theory of reading comprehension. The major focus is on understanding the processes involved in the comprehension of written text. Underlying most of the contributions is the assumption that skilled reading comprehension requires a coordination of text with context in a way that goes far beyond simply chaining together the meanings of a string of decoded words. The topics discussed are divided into five general areas: Global Issues; Text Structure; Language, Knowledge of the World, and Inference; Effects of Prior Language Experience; and Comprehension Strategies and Facilitators, and represent a broad base of methodology and data that should be of interest not only to those concerned with the reading process, but also to basic science researchers in psychology, linguistics, artificial intelligence, and related disciplines.

    Preface.  Introduction.  Part 1: Global Issues  1. Failures to Comprehend and Levels of Processing in Reading Marilyn Jager Adams  2. Schemata: The Building Blocks of Cognition David E. Rumelhart  3. Multiple Theory Formation in Speech and Reading William A. Woods  Part 2: Text Structure  4. Syntactic Aspects of Reading Comprehension A.W.F. Huggins and Marilyn Jager Adams  5. Pragmatics and Reading Comprehension Jerry L. Morgan and Georgia M. Green  6. Syntax Beyond the Sentence: Anaphora Bonnie Lynn Webber  7. Discourse and Linguistic Theory Jerry L. Morgan and Manfred B. Sellner  8. Psychological Correlates of Text Structure Ernest T. Goetz and Bonnie B. Armbruster  9. Literary Theory, Rhetoric, and Stylistics: Implications for Psychology William F. Brewer  Part 3: Language, Knowledge of the World, and Inference  10. Constructive Processes in Prose Comprehension and Recall Rand J. Spiro  11. Category Structure and the Development of Categorization Carolyn B. Mervis  12. Theories of Semantic Memory: Approaches to Knowledge and Sentence Comprehension Edward J. Shoben  13. The Meaning of Words in Context Richard C. Anderson and Zohara Shifrin  14. Metaphor Andrew Ortony  15. Plans and Social Actions Bertram C. Bruce  16. Inference in Text Understanding Allan Collins, John Seely Brown and Kathy M. Larkin  Part 4: Effects of Prior Language Experiences  17. A Theoretical Taxonomy of the Differences Between Oral and Written Language Andee Rubin  18. On the Dialect Question and Reading William S. Hall and Larry F. Guthrie  Part 5: Comprehension Strategies, Facilitators, and Instruction  19. Metacognitive Development and Reading Ann L. Brown  20. Study Strategies and Adjunct Aids Thomas H. Anderson  21. The Role of Illustrations in Reading Comprehension Diane Lemonnier Schallert  22. Topic Interest and Children’s Reading Comprehension Steven R. Asher  23. Skill Hierarchies in Reading Comprehension Barak V. Rosenshine  24. Teaching Reading Comprehension in the Middle Grades Joseph R. Jenkins and Darlene Pany.  Author Index.