A rapprochement: Embodied representations for cognitive discoveries

Embodied representations of meaning are necessary, not just a theoretical option. Nonetheless, the great majority of discoveries about the psychology of text and discourse derive from a cognitive approach to meaning. Are these two facts irreconcilable? I propose and demonstrate a rapprochement in which cognitive discoveries are examined through an embodied lens.

Combining processes and outcomes in models of discourse comprehension

A reader’s comprehension of a text crucially depends on the construction of a mental representation of that text. This representation is the result of a great number of processes and factors and, in turn, forms the foundation for other, more involved interactions with the text (e.g., reflection, affective responses, learning, communication with others).

In this presentation I highlight how the study of the construction of mental representations (and, by extension, of more involved interactions) benefits from combined investigation of the nature of such representations (outcome) and of the mechanisms by which they are constructed (processes). I illustrate this with examples of several phenomena with diverse populations: the construction of a mental representation, validation of text information, individual differences in comprehension by children and implications for education, and the effect of interruptions when reading on a digital device.