Generation of Emotional Inferences during the Comprehension of Narrative Texts: Behavioral Data and Implementation through the Landscape Model

CARLOS MOLINARI MAROTTO; JUAN PABLO BARREYRO; JAZMÍN YOMHA CEVASCO; PAUL VAN DEN BROEK

Escritos en Psicología

Universidad de Málaga

Lugar: Malaga, España; Año: 2011 vol. 4 p. 9 - 17

1989-3809

This study investigated the generation of emotional inferences during the reading and recall of natural texts (i.e. popular fables). In Experiment 1, we compared the fit of two alternative simulations of text comprehension to the recall data. One of them contemplated the realization of causal and referential inferences (causal referential), and the other one contemplated the realization of causal, referential, and emotional inferences (causal-referential-emotional). We found that the simulation that implemented the realization of emotional inferences provided a better fit to the human data. In Experiment 2, we collected lexical decision times at pre-inference and inference locations to test whether emotional inferences are generated online. Results indicated that lexical decision times were faster at the inference as opposed to the pre-inference locations. In Experiment 3, we presented a second lexical decision task after participants had read single sentences to test whether the generation of emotional inferences is prompted by single sentences or by the context of the text. Results indicated no difference among the inference and pre-inference locations in this case. These findings suggest that emotional inferences are generated as readers process natural texts, and that they require for the reader to establish connections among text segments. * Revista indexada en Dialnet, DICE, e-revist@s, Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), Directorio DULCINEA, IN-RECS, J-Gate, LATINDEX, PSICODOC, RECOLECTA, REDALYC, SciELO y Ulrich’s International Periodicals Directory.