Showing papers by "Patricia A. Carpenter published in 1992"

A capacity theory of comprehension: individual differences in working memory.

Abstract: A theory of the way working memory capacity constrains comprehension is proposed. The theory proposes that both processing and storage are mediated by activation and that the total amount of activation available in working memory varies among individuals. Individual differences in working memory capacity for language can account for qualitative and quantitative differences among college-age adults in several aspects of language comprehension. One aspect is syntactic modularity: The larger capacity of some individuals permits interaction among syntactic and pragmatic information, so that their syntactic processes are not informationally encapsulated. Another aspect is syntactic ambiguity: The larger capacity of some individuals permits them to maintain multiple interpretations. The theory is instantiated as a production system model in which the amount of activation available to the model affects how it adapts to the transient computational and storage demands that occur in comprehension.

Understanding Mechanical Systems Through Computer Animation and Kinematic Imagery

Abstract: : One purpose of the research is to develop models of cognitive processes in understanding mechanical systems. A particular focus was on the processes in mentally animating the representation of a mechanical system, and the contribution of animation graphics in comprehension. Several studies, involving eye fixations, verbal protocols and process tracing, indicated that mental animation was difficult for individuals who were not knowledgeable about mechanics. Animation did help them determine the motion of individual components, but animation alone did not entirely compensate for the subject's difficulty in identifying relevant features and ignoring irrelevant features. A second goal of the research was to analyze the differences among individuals who are performing analytic reasoning tasks. The cognitive processes in a widely used, nonverbal test of analytic intelligence, the Raven Progressive Matrices Test were analyzed using experimental and modelling techniques. The processes that distinguish average and superior performance are the ability to induce abstract relations and the ability to dynamically manage a large set of problem solving goals in working memory. Mechanical reasoning, Intelligence testing, Individual differences in problem solving.