| In this paper, I explore the role of working memory in discourse processing. Specifically, I am interested in describing the effects of text interruption (by another, unrelated text) on the construction and maintenance of a discourse representation in working memory. Working memory is required to bridge the span of such an interruption, and looking at reading behavior before and after an interruption by an unrelated text can help us to understand the function and contents of working memory during language processing. In this paper, I begin by introducing two alternative existing models of the role of working memory in discourse processing. I then describe two sets of experiments designed to differentiate between these two views. In the first set of three experiments, I used a self-paced reading paradigm to study the effects of text interruption on reading time. In the second set of four experiments, I used a probe-word paradigm to study the effects of interruption on verbatim text memory. In a final experiment, I measured performance on responses to memory probes and to comprehension questions following an interruption to reading. The results of these experiments support the memory representational view of the role of working memory in language processing. |
