Superman Takes a Taxi: Testing Theories of Validation with Inconsistencies in Fantastic Narratives. Issue 3 (16th March 2022)
- Record Type:
- Journal Article
- Title:
- Superman Takes a Taxi: Testing Theories of Validation with Inconsistencies in Fantastic Narratives. Issue 3 (16th March 2022)
- Main Title:
- Superman Takes a Taxi: Testing Theories of Validation with Inconsistencies in Fantastic Narratives
- Authors:
- Saerys-Foy, Jeffrey E.
LoCasto, Paul C.
Burn, David
Ferranti, Daniella - Abstract:
- ABSTRACT: According to theories of validation, people routinely check incoming information against prior knowledge during comprehension. On these theories, information is validated if it fits with prior knowledge. Some researchers argue that information needs to be successfully validated before being incorporated into the situation model. We report five experiments that tested these claims. In each experiment, participants read fantastic narratives with inconsistencies in the first half of the text. We measured the effect of these inconsistencies on subsequent reading times. In Experiments 1, 2a, and 2b, narratives were about familiar fantastic characters (e.g., Superman), and in Experiments 3a and 3b they were about unfamiliar characters. General linear models with fixed and random effects revealed that inconsistencies in the first half of the narrative (e.g., Superman taking a taxi) facilitated reading times on subsequent sentences that repeated the inconsistency (e.g., Experiments 1 and 3a) but novel inconsistencies did not (e.g., Superman running away from danger; Experiments 2a, 2b, and 3a). This facilitation disappeared when participants intentionally judged the plausibility of the inconsistency (Experiment 3b). Our findings suggest that during passive reading people incorporated information into their situation model even when it did not fit prior knowledge. Only when people made intentional evaluations did we find evidence that they did not incorporateABSTRACT: According to theories of validation, people routinely check incoming information against prior knowledge during comprehension. On these theories, information is validated if it fits with prior knowledge. Some researchers argue that information needs to be successfully validated before being incorporated into the situation model. We report five experiments that tested these claims. In each experiment, participants read fantastic narratives with inconsistencies in the first half of the text. We measured the effect of these inconsistencies on subsequent reading times. In Experiments 1, 2a, and 2b, narratives were about familiar fantastic characters (e.g., Superman), and in Experiments 3a and 3b they were about unfamiliar characters. General linear models with fixed and random effects revealed that inconsistencies in the first half of the narrative (e.g., Superman taking a taxi) facilitated reading times on subsequent sentences that repeated the inconsistency (e.g., Experiments 1 and 3a) but novel inconsistencies did not (e.g., Superman running away from danger; Experiments 2a, 2b, and 3a). This facilitation disappeared when participants intentionally judged the plausibility of the inconsistency (Experiment 3b). Our findings suggest that during passive reading people incorporated information into their situation model even when it did not fit prior knowledge. Only when people made intentional evaluations did we find evidence that they did not incorporate inconsistencies into their situation models. We argue that these findings raise questions about theories of validation and provide suggestions for future research. … (more)
- Is Part Of:
- Discourse processes. Volume 59:Issue 3(2022)
- Journal:
- Discourse processes
- Issue:
- Volume 59:Issue 3(2022)
- Issue Display:
- Volume 59, Issue 3 (2022)
- Year:
- 2022
- Volume:
- 59
- Issue:
- 3
- Issue Sort Value:
- 2022-0059-0003-0000
- Page Start:
- 137
- Page End:
- 158
- Publication Date:
- 2022-03-16
- Subjects:
- Discourse analysis -- Periodicals
401.41 - Journal URLs:
- http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~db=all~content=t775653637~tab=issueslist ↗
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/hdsp20/current ↗
http://www.tandfonline.com/ ↗
http://firstsearch.oclc.org ↗ - DOI:
- 10.1080/0163853X.2021.1994298 ↗
- Languages:
- English
- ISSNs:
- 0163-853X
- Deposit Type:
- Legaldeposit
- View Content:
- Available online (eLD content is only available in our Reading Rooms) ↗
- Physical Locations:
- British Library DSC - 3595.860000
British Library DSC - BLDSS-3PM
British Library HMNTS - ELD Digital store - Ingest File:
- 21228.xml