Activation and Encoding of Bridging and Predictive Inferences in EFL Reading Comprehension

概要

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Inference generation during reading has been investigated mostly in L1 studies (e.g., Graesser, Singer, & Trabasso, 1994; McKoon & Ratcliff, 1992). Although some researchers conducted studies on inference generation in L2 reading (Horiba, 1996; Yoshida, 2003), little is known about how EFL readers activate and encode more specific types of inferences. Therefore, the present study explored the activation and encoding of two types of inferences-bridging and predictive inferences-among Japanese EFL learners with different levels of reading proficiency based on the theoretical method used in L1 studies. A total of 76 university freshmen read a set of single- or two-sentence texts at their own pace, then performed two tasks: (a) an on-line probe recognition task which examined the activation of inferences during reading, and (b) an off-line recall task which examined encoding of inferences in readers' mental representations. The results of the recall task showed that both types of inference were encoded in readers' mental representations. However, the results of the recognition task confirmed the different generation patterns between bridging and predictive inferences; bridging inferences were generated on-line whereas predictive inferences were not generated instantly but with some delay. These results were consistent among different proficiency groups.
2012-03-28