Web Activity 11.1 What’s in a mental model?

Discourse and Inference

In section 11.1, you read about experiments that reveal the content that people typically represent in their mental models. Specifically, the textbook discussed the presence of certain objects in the mental model, the spatial relationships between entities, temporal relationships between events, and perceptual (visual and auditory) information.

Now, identify another possible question about mental models that we have not yet addressed. To get you started, here are some ideas (but feel free to come up with entirely original ones!):

  • Do people represent cause-effect relationships, whether or not they are explicitly stated?
  • Do people represent information about stereotypical events or appearances, even when they are not explicitly mentioned?
  • Are there some circumstances under which specific information (for example, visual information or information about time) is more or less likely to be represented?
  • Does the rate at which people read text influence the information that gets instantiated in the mental model? Are some kinds of information more readily affected by reading speed than others?

Once you have identified a research question, come up with an experimental design to test it, following these steps:

Step 1

State a specific hypothesis that you would like to test. For example: People are more likely to spontaneously instantiate visual details in their mental models during reading if the reading task is preceded by a nonverbal activity that involves looking at visually rich images.

Step 2

Identify an experimental task (a memory probe test or a reading time task; it will be helpful to read Method 11.1 before doing this activity), and explain the logic behind using that task to test your hypothesis.

Step 3

Create some sample stimuli and describe the procedure in detail. Aim to have at least five critical stimuli in each condition. Don’t forget to include fillers as appropriate.

Step 4

Make specific predictions. Identify the specific pattern of results across experimental conditions that would provide support for your hypothesis.

Step 5

If your results turned out as predicted, what general conclusions could you draw from this hypothetical study?

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