Dynamic Mental Representation In Language Comprehension

Language comprehension involves a construction of mental representation or situation model which was widely studied by the cognitive psychologists. They focused on the multidimensional aspect of the mental model. Text comprehension researchers typically identify at least five dimensions of situation, time, space, causation, intentionality, and protagonist. This study explored the properties of the multidimensional mental representation on the basis of the time processing.Mental models are constructed online during text processing. Each incoming information is processed in consideration of prior infonnation, and then in turn, the model is updated according to the new information. There are 2 theoretical views on this updating. Static view holds that occurrence is represented by a series of static distinct event representations. A coherent mental representation depends on the sharing dimensions between the referential situation model. There are direct evidence supporting the dynamic mental representation. However, we noticed that the experimental text material in the research involves events happened in a same scenario. According the Scenario Model, whenever the scenario shifts, mental model reconstructs; the processing loadingThis article discussed three aspects of the mental representation: first, we found that the mental representation is directional and chronological as the real-world time when processing cross-scenario successive events. Therefore, the Scenario Model was tested and the existence field of dynamic mental representation was confirmed. Second, the mental time interval and real time interval was compared. We suggest that the comprehenders use different representational time scales when processing occurrences from different time layers. Third, since current study on the dimensions of mental model are isolated. However, when taking seriously the question of how readers understand texts, we need to start thinking about the interrelatedness of the dimensions. This study also investigated the time &protagonist dyads, and time& causation dyads.There are four experiments in this article:Exp 1 Exploring that the mental representation is directional and chronological as the real-world time when processing scenario-dependent occurrence. A superiority effect for future-oriented events was found.Exp 2 The superiority for future-oriented events still exists in successive events happened cross scenario. The dynamic mental representation tracking events is not bound to the scenario.lt is obvious a long real-world time shift won't cause a mental reconstruction.Exp 3 The superiority for future-oriented events doesn't exist in successive events happened cross time layers.Exp 4 under a multidimensional mental representation, the effect of time dimension is influenced by other dimensions, especially the protagonist dimension many be critical in some text.In general, we got three conclusion:all mental representations of the external world emphasize future time. A coherent representation does not critically depend on the temporal distance in real world. The dynamic representation was constructed as a layer model, this future-oriented priority effect exists in different layers. At least, we suggest that the comprehenders use different representational time scales when processing occurrences from different layersThe updating of the mental model in Scenario Model is caused by the obvious word or phrases implying a time shift. We can explain the Scenario Model with a dynamic view.Readers construct a multidimensional mental representation in text processing. Time dimension is essential but not critical.