Arthur C Graesser
Biographic Data
| ID | 655522 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Arthur C Graesser |
| GIVEN NAMES | Arthur C |
| FAMILY NAME | Graesser |
| SIGNATURE | GRAESSER A C |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Memphis |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-0345-6866 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 66 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 408 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 64 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 2 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1978 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 11 |
Reflections on Roy O. Freedle
Walter Kintsch: Legacy and legend
In this article we reflect on the enduring and pervasive influence of Walter Kintsch. His theories and empirical research formed the bedrock of decades of national and international research on text and discourse processing, as well as cognitive science more broadly. His orientation was interdisciplinary, drawing on and contributing to the fields of cognitive psychology, cognitive science, text linguistics, computational modeling, and education s…
Corpus stylistic analysis of literary translation using multilevel linguistic measures: James Joyce’s Dubliners and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and their Korean translations
Previous studies in corpus-based literary translation have tended to focus on only one or two specific aspects of style. In this study we expand the existing analytical paradigm to show how the style inherent in source texts (STs) is reflected in their translations. We do this using thirty-six multilevel linguistic features. The selected texts are James Joyce’s Dubliners and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and their Korean translations. W…
A framework of literacy development and how AI can transform theory and practice
We argue in this paper that there is currently no adequate theoretical framework or model that spans the twelve odd year trajectory from non‐reader to proficient reader, nor addresses fine‐grain skill acquisition, mastery and integration. The target construct itself, reading proficiency, as often operationalized as an endpoint of formal secondary schooling, is defined and measured in imprecise, fragmented terms. Consequently, schools (and empiric…
The impact of conversational agents’ language on summary writing
This study investigated how computer agents’ language style affects summary writing in an Intelligent Tutoring System, called CSAL AutoTutor. Participants interacted with two computer agents in one of three language styles: (1) a formal language style, (2) an informal language style, and (3) a mixed language style. Primary results indicated that participants improved the quality of summary writing, spent less time writing summaries, and had lower…
Role of questions in inquiry-based instruction: Towards a design taxonomy for question-asking and implications for design
Collaboration in the 21st century: The theory, assessment, and teaching of collaborative problem solving
Some critical reflections on the special issue: Collaboration in the 21st century: The theory, assessment, and teaching of collaborative problem solving
Advancing the Science of Collaborative Problem Solving
Collaborative problem solving (CPS) has been receiving increasing international attention because much of the complex work in the modern world is performed by teams. However, systematic education and training on CPS is lacking for those entering and participating in the workforce. In 2015, the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), a global test of educational progress, documented the low levels of proficiency in CPS. This result …
Collaborative problem-solving education for the twenty-first-century workforce
A New Measure of Text Formality: An Analysis of Discourse of Mao Zedong
Formality has long been of interest in the study of discourse, with periodic discussions of the best measure of formality and the relationship between formality and text categories. In this research, we explored what features predict formality as humans perceive the construct. We categorized a corpus consisting of 1,158 discourse samples published in the Collected/Selected Works of Mao Zedong into the following categories: conversations, speeches…
Computational linguistics analysis of leaders during crises in authoritarian regimes
We investigated linguistic patterns in the discourse of three prominent autocratic leaders whose tenure lasted for multiple decades. The texts of Fidel Castro, Zedong Mao, and Hosni Mubarak were analyzed using a computational linguistic tool (Coh-Metrix) to explore persuasive linguistic features during social disequilibrium and stability. The analyses were guided by the elaboration likelihood model of persuasion, which contrasts central versus pe…
Automated Evaluation of Text and Discourse with Coh-Metrix
Coh-Metrix is among the broadest and most sophisticated automated textual assessment tools available today. Automated Evaluation of Text and Discourse with Coh-Metrix describes this computational tool, as well as the wide range of language and discourse measures it provides. Part I of the book focuses on the theoretical perspectives that led to the development of Coh-Metrix, its measures, and empirical work that has been conducted using this appr…
Pronoun Use Reflects Standings in Social Hierarchies
Five studies explored the ways relative rank is revealed among individuals in small groups through their natural use of pronouns. In Experiment 1, four-person groups worked on a decision-making task with randomly assigned leadership status. In Studies 2 and 3, two-person groups either worked on a task or chatted informally in a get-to-know-you session. Study 4 was a naturalistic study of incoming and outgoing e-mail of 9 participants who provided…
Evolution of Advanced Learning Technologies in the 21st Century
The role of technology in education has mystified the contributors to Theory Into Practice (TIP) during its 50-year history. In the first issue of TIP, Guba (1962) Guba, E. G. 1962. The issue: Teaching machines are here to stay. Theory into Practice, 1: 1–6. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar] was confident that "teaching machines are here to stay" and would help education, but raised various practical concerns, such as costs, programmin…
Comprehending and Learning From Internet Sources: Processing Patterns of Better and Poorer Learners
Readers increasingly attempt to understand and learn from information sources they find on the Internet. Doing so highlights the crucial role that evaluative processes play in selecting and making sense of the information. In a prior study, Wiley et al. (2009, Experiment 1) asked undergraduates to perform a web‐based inquiry task about volcanoes using multiple Internet sources. A major finding established a clear link between learning outcomes, s…
Learning, thinking, and emoting with discourse technologies
This is an unusual moment in the history of psychology because of landmark advances in digital information technologies, computational linguistics, and other fields that use the computer to analyze language, discourse, and behavior. The technologies developed from this interdisciplinary fusion are helping students learn and think in ways that are sensitive to their cognitive and emotional states. Recent projects have developed computer technologi…
Coh-Metrix: Providing Multilevel Analyses of Text Characteristics
Computer analyses of text characteristics are often used by reading teachers, researchers, and policy makers when selecting texts for students. The authors of this article identify components of language, discourse, and cognition that underlie traditional automated metrics of text difficulty and their new Coh-Metrix system. Coh-Metrix analyzes texts on multiple measures of language and discourse that are aligned with multilevel theoretical framew…
Better to be frustrated than bored: The incidence, persistence, and impact of learners’ cognitive–affective states during interactions with three different computer-based learning environments
Coh-Metrix: Capturing Linguistic Features of Cohesion
This study addresses the need in discourse psychology for computational techniques that analyze text on multiple levels of cohesion and text difficulty. Discourse psychologists often investigate phenomena related to discourse processing using lengthy texts containing multiple paragraphs, as opposed to single word and sentence stimuli. Characterizing such texts in terms of cohesion and coherence is challenging. Some computational tools are availab…
The Effect of Context on Humor: A Constraint-Based Model of Comprehending Verbal Jokes
Two experiments were conducted to assess the effects of various constraints on the processing of jokes. Participants read humorous jokes and nonhumorous alternatives of the jokes, which were presented in 3 conditions that manipulated discourse context (comedy, political, and control). In Experiment 1, participants rated the funniness of texts and provided some recall data. In Experiment 2, participant's eye movements were collected to examine the…
Handbook of metacognition in education
Source Evaluation, Comprehension, and Learning in Internet Science Inquiry Tasks
In two experiments, undergraduates’ evaluation and use of multiple Internet sources during a science inquiry task were examined. In Experiment 1, undergraduates had the task of explaining what caused the eruption of Mt. St. Helens using the results of an Internet search. Multiple regression analyses indicated that source evaluation significantly predicted learning outcomes, with more successful learners better able to discriminate scientifically …
Symbols and EmbodimentDebates on meaning and cognition
1. Framing the debate 2. The limits of covariation 3. Body and symbol in AutoTutor: conversations that are responsive to the learners' cognitive and emotional states 4. Symbolism, embodied cognition and the broader debate 5. What brain imaging can tell us about embodied meaning 6. Grounding language in the brain 7. Symbols and embodiment from the perspective of a neural modeler 8. Symbol systems and perceptual representations 9. Experiential trac…
Symbols and embodiment: Debates on Meaning and Cognition
Coh-Metrix: Providing Multilevel Analyses of Text Characteristics
Computer analyses of text characteristics are often used by reading teachers, researchers, and policy makers when selecting texts for students. The authors of this article identify components of language, discourse, and cognition that underlie traditional automated metrics of text difficulty and their new Coh-Metrix system. Coh-Metrix analyzes texts on multiple measures of language and discourse that are aligned with multilevel theoretical framew…
Pronoun Use Reflects Standings in Social Hierarchies
Five studies explored the ways relative rank is revealed among individuals in small groups through their natural use of pronouns. In Experiment 1, four-person groups worked on a decision-making task with randomly assigned leadership status. In Studies 2 and 3, two-person groups either worked on a task or chatted informally in a get-to-know-you session. Study 4 was a naturalistic study of incoming and outgoing e-mail of 9 participants who provided…
A three-pronged method for studying inference generation in literary text
Source Evaluation, Comprehension, and Learning in Internet Science Inquiry Tasks
In two experiments, undergraduates’ evaluation and use of multiple Internet sources during a science inquiry task were examined. In Experiment 1, undergraduates had the task of explaining what caused the eruption of Mt. St. Helens using the results of an Internet search. Multiple regression analyses indicated that source evaluation significantly predicted learning outcomes, with more successful learners better able to discriminate scientifically …
The time course of generating causal antecedent and causal consequence inferences
The present study tested whether causal antecedent and causal consequence inferences are generated on‐line during comprehension and also determined the time course of their activation. The study manipulated inference category, the rate of word presentation in a rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) format, and the delay between the last word in a sentence and the test word (i.e., SOA interval). Lexical decision latencies were collected on test …
Comprehending and Learning From Internet Sources: Processing Patterns of Better and Poorer Learners
Readers increasingly attempt to understand and learn from information sources they find on the Internet. Doing so highlights the crucial role that evaluative processes play in selecting and making sense of the information. In a prior study, Wiley et al. (2009, Experiment 1) asked undergraduates to perform a web‐based inquiry task about volcanoes using multiple Internet sources. A major finding established a clear link between learning outcomes, s…
Wit and humor in discourse processing
Humor and wit are complex cognitive, social, and linguistic phenomena that are relevant to research in text comprehension, pragmatics, and discourse processing. We begin by presenting a taxonomy of jokes and wit as a useful, descriptive tool. Next, we argue that humor processing may occur in a parallel rather than serial fashion by contrasting a serial‐processing, incongruity‐resolution model with an alternative dual‐processing model. We subseque…
A theory of inference generation during text comprehension
An adequate theory of inference generation should accurately predict whether particular classes of knowledge‐based inferences are generated “on‐line” during text comprehension. This article proposes a theory which can account for available empirical findings in cognitive psychology and discourse processing, including those reported in this issue of Discourse Processes. The proposed “constructionist” theory incorporates: (a) the goals of the reade…
Quest: A cognitive model of question answering
QUEST is a cognitive model of question answering that accounts for the answers adults give to questions such as “Why?” “How?” “When?” “Where?” “What are the consequences of X?” “Is X true or false?” QUEST specifies the information sources that are tapped for answers to a question. Each information source is a highly structured data base, with statement nodes organized by a network of directed relational arcs. The types of knowledge structures inc…
Coh-Metrix: Capturing Linguistic Features of Cohesion
This study addresses the need in discourse psychology for computational techniques that analyze text on multiple levels of cohesion and text difficulty. Discourse psychologists often investigate phenomena related to discourse processing using lengthy texts containing multiple paragraphs, as opposed to single word and sentence stimuli. Characterizing such texts in terms of cohesion and coherence is challenging. Some computational tools are availab…
Shallow Processing and Underspecification
Discourse comprehension theories frequently assume that discourse comprehension involves a complete analysis of lexical, syntactic, semantic, and discourse levels of processing. However, discourse psychologists have documented some conditions when a partial processing and underspecification of the resulting representations occurs. The articles in this special issue report empirical studies that identify some of these conditions. A satisfactory un…
The effect of metaphor on processing style in a persuasion task: A motivational resonance model
Previous research on metaphor and persuasion has suggested that metaphorical language elicits an assimilation effect wherein positive metaphors elicit positive attitudes toward the communication topic and negative metaphors elicit negative evaluations. The authors of this article propose that metaphorical content can increase or decrease motivation to systematically scrutinize a persuasive communication depending on the extent to which it "resona…
How to catch a fish: The memory and representation of common procedures∗
Recall for descriptions of common procedures was analyzed to assess the effects of two dimensions of organizational structure on memory: Hierarchical structure and relational density. Previous studies have related memory to the organization of discourse contents by constructing canonical tree structure representations that are generated by constituent grammars. In contrast, the present study scaled statements in passages along organizational dime…
Character and reader emotions in literary texts
Humor, Language, and Metaphor
It has long been assumed that humor and metaphor are connected. However, little direct empirical examination of this connection exists. We sought to directly test a popular theory of humor--the disparagement theory--in a metaphor form. Thirty male and 30 female introductory psychology students judged 32 metaphor pairs. One half of the pairs disparaged the topic of the metaphorical sentence, whereas the other half of the pairs uplifted the topic. …
What are the cognitive and conceptual components of humorous text
Buffering new information during reading
We report results from two subject‐paced reading experiments in which word‐reading times were collected using the moving‐window method. Word type, the amount of information at successive locations within sentences, and task were the independent variables, and word‐reading time was the dependent variable. Reading times increased with successive locations, as indexed by the cumulative number of new arguments per sentence. There was an interaction i…
Use of cognitive capacity in reading: Effects of some content features of text∗
Use of cognitive capacity was measured during reading of text in six experiments. Content features of the texts were varied. A secondary task technique was used to measure use of capacity. In all experiments, capacity was filled more completely while reading narrative text than while reading expository text. The finding was generalized over two pools of passages, over two modalities of secondary task probes— auditory and tactile—and over two seco…
Comprehension: A paradigm for cognition
Quantitative discourse psychology
Discourse psychologists investigate the cognitive representations, procedures, and processes that transpire in the human mind when discourse is comprehend and produced. Quantitative discourse psychologists build sophisticated computational, statistical, and mathematical models that simulate these mechanisms. We believe that quantitative discourse psychologists will be important players in the field of discourse processing in future years. The pra…
Discrepancies between the Legal Code and Community Standards for Sex and Violence: An Empirical Challenge to Traditional Assumptions in Obscenity Law
Community standards for sexually explicit and violent depictions were measured using a representative sample of Western Tennessee residents. The residents were randomly assigned to view sexually explicit films charged in an obscenity case, violent materials, or control materials. The results showed that residents believe the sexually explicit films charged in the case did not appeal to a self-reported shameful, morbid, or unhealthy (prurient) int…
A natural inquiry into the national enquirer: Self‐induced versus task‐induced reading comprehension∗
This study explores what information is selected and acquired when readers genuinely want to read textual material. College students read sheets from the National Enquirer news magazine in both Self‐induced and Task‐induced reading conditions. In Self‐induced conditions they read the new sheets voluntarily and did not expect to be tested on the contents. In Task‐induced conditions the students knew they were in an experiment that would assess mem…
Computational linguistics analysis of leaders during crises in authoritarian regimes
We investigated linguistic patterns in the discourse of three prominent autocratic leaders whose tenure lasted for multiple decades. The texts of Fidel Castro, Zedong Mao, and Hosni Mubarak were analyzed using a computational linguistic tool (Coh-Metrix) to explore persuasive linguistic features during social disequilibrium and stability. The analyses were guided by the elaboration likelihood model of persuasion, which contrasts central versus pe…
Agent Technologies Designed to Facilitate Interactive Knowledge Construction
During the last decade, interdisciplinary researchers have developed technologies with animated pedagogical agents that interact with the student in language and other communication channels (such as facial expressions and gestures). These pedagogical agents model good learning strategies and coach the students in actively constructing knowledge during learning. This article describes computer technologies that have been developed during the last…
What makes a good answer to a question: Testing a psychological model of question answering in the context of narrative text
Two experiments tested the QUEST model of question answering (Graesser & Franklin, 1990) in the context of short stories. QUEST specifies how individuals answer why and how questions by searching through various sources of information after comprehending a text. The sources of information include the passage structure and the generic knowledge structures that are associated with the content words in the query. After these information sources are …
How to catch a fish: The memory and representation of common procedures∗
Recall for descriptions of common procedures was analyzed to assess the effects of two dimensions of organizational structure on memory: Hierarchical structure and relational density. Previous studies have related memory to the organization of discourse contents by constructing canonical tree structure representations that are generated by constituent grammars. In contrast, the present study scaled statements in passages along organizational dime…
A natural inquiry into the national enquirer: Self‐induced versus task‐induced reading comprehension∗
This study explores what information is selected and acquired when readers genuinely want to read textual material. College students read sheets from the National Enquirer news magazine in both Self‐induced and Task‐induced reading conditions. In Self‐induced conditions they read the new sheets voluntarily and did not expect to be tested on the contents. In Task‐induced conditions the students knew they were in an experiment that would assess mem…
Prose Comprehension Beyond the Word
Use of cognitive capacity in reading: Effects of some content features of text∗
Use of cognitive capacity was measured during reading of text in six experiments. Content features of the texts were varied. A secondary task technique was used to measure use of capacity. In all experiments, capacity was filled more completely while reading narrative text than while reading expository text. The finding was generalized over two pools of passages, over two modalities of secondary task probes— auditory and tactile—and over two seco…
Wit and humor in discourse processing
Humor and wit are complex cognitive, social, and linguistic phenomena that are relevant to research in text comprehension, pragmatics, and discourse processing. We begin by presenting a taxonomy of jokes and wit as a useful, descriptive tool. Next, we argue that humor processing may occur in a parallel rather than serial fashion by contrasting a serial‐processing, incongruity‐resolution model with an alternative dual‐processing model. We subseque…
Buffering new information during reading
We report results from two subject‐paced reading experiments in which word‐reading times were collected using the moving‐window method. Word type, the amount of information at successive locations within sentences, and task were the independent variables, and word‐reading time was the dependent variable. Reading times increased with successive locations, as indexed by the cumulative number of new arguments per sentence. There was an interaction i…
What are the cognitive and conceptual components of humorous text
Quest: A cognitive model of question answering
QUEST is a cognitive model of question answering that accounts for the answers adults give to questions such as “Why?” “How?” “When?” “Where?” “What are the consequences of X?” “Is X true or false?” QUEST specifies the information sources that are tapped for answers to a question. Each information source is a highly structured data base, with statement nodes organized by a network of directed relational arcs. The types of knowledge structures inc…
Psychological research on question answering and question asking
(1990). Psychological research on question answering and question asking. Discourse Processes: Vol. 13, Psychological Research On Question Answering and Question Asking, pp. 259-260
What makes a good answer to a question: Testing a psychological model of question answering in the context of narrative text
Two experiments tested the QUEST model of question answering (Graesser & Franklin, 1990) in the context of short stories. QUEST specifies how individuals answer why and how questions by searching through various sources of information after comprehending a text. The sources of information include the passage structure and the generic knowledge structures that are associated with the content words in the query. After these information sources are …
Question answering in the context of telephone surveys, business interactions, and interviews
This study examines the extent to which the QUEST model of question answering (Graesser & Franklin, 1990) can account for the answers to why, how, when, and consequence questions posed in different pragmatic contexts. In Study I, the pragmatic context consisted of a brief telephone survey in which a question was asked about a historical event (e.g., “How did the Titanic sink?”). In Study 2, college students visited businesses in the guise of cust…
The role of questioning in knowledge engineering and the interface of expert systems
Humor, Language, and Metaphor
It has long been assumed that humor and metaphor are connected. However, little direct empirical examination of this connection exists. We sought to directly test a popular theory of humor--the disparagement theory--in a metaphor form. Thirty male and 30 female introductory psychology students judged 32 metaphor pairs. One half of the pairs disparaged the topic of the metaphorical sentence, whereas the other half of the pairs uplifted the topic. …
A three-pronged method for studying inference generation in literary text
Introduction: Inference generation during text comprehension
A theory of inference generation during text comprehension
An adequate theory of inference generation should accurately predict whether particular classes of knowledge‐based inferences are generated “on‐line” during text comprehension. This article proposes a theory which can account for available empirical findings in cognitive psychology and discourse processing, including those reported in this issue of Discourse Processes. The proposed “constructionist” theory incorporates: (a) the goals of the reade…
The time course of generating causal antecedent and causal consequence inferences
The present study tested whether causal antecedent and causal consequence inferences are generated on‐line during comprehension and also determined the time course of their activation. The study manipulated inference category, the rate of word presentation in a rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) format, and the delay between the last word in a sentence and the test word (i.e., SOA interval). Lexical decision latencies were collected on test …
Narrative Thought and Narrative Language
Constructing inferences during narrative text comprehension.
The authors describe a constructionist theory that accounts for the knowledge-based inferences that are constructed when readers comprehend narrative text. Readers potentially generate a rich variety of inferences when they construct a referential situation model of what the text is about. The proposed constructionist theory specifies that some, but not all, of this information is constructed under most conditions of comprehension. The distinctiv…
Naturalistic Conceptions of Morality: A Question‐Answering Approach
Psychological research on morality has been based on researchers' definitions of morality or on philosophical theories. The present study examined naturally occurring conceptions of morality by using a knowledge‐structure methodology borrowed from cognitive psychology. Subjects generated statements in response to a question designed to expose generic knowledge about their concept of morality. Answer frequency and conceptual clustering results sug…
Moral Questions and Amoral Answers: Who Decides
Researchers have examined moral thought using selected philosophical standards without showing that such standards represent moral thinking. Recently, we examined the extent to which assumed standards actually organize moral knowledge (Quinn, Houts, & Graesser, this issue). We found dimensions not accounted for by previous theories. In his response (this issue), Shaffer misrepresents the aims of our research, and he overlooks the implications of …
Thinking about Morality and Moral Thinking: Is There a Distinction
A recent exchange with Shaffer (this issue) reveals several points of agreement underscoring the utility of our subject‐based approach to understanding moral thought. Shaffer's latest reply raises the interesting question of whether thinking about morality, the focus of our study, constitutes moral thinking. Our response underscores how Shaffer's approach to studying moral thought differs from our own. More important, we emphasize how disagreemen…
Question Asking During Tutoring
Whereas it is well documented that student question asking is infrequent in classroom environments, there is little research on questioning processes during tutoring. The present study investigated the questions asked in tutoring sessions on research methods (college students) and algebra (7th graders). Student questions were approximately 240 times as frequent in tutoring settings as classroom settings, whereas tutor questions were only slightly…
The form and function of speech act exchanges in children's dyadic interactions
The present study evaluated form/function distinctions in the speech act exchanges between dyad partners. Based on sociometric nominations and ratings, second‐ and sixth‐grade girls were paired in three dyad types: mutual friends, unilateral friends, or acquaintances. Each dyad was videotaped for 20 min while performing two tasks: a question‐asking task and a puzzle task. Five speech act exchange forms (which involved an initiation by one child a…
Dimensions of situation model construction in narrative comprehension.
Psychology (59 works) · Computer Science (44 works) · Linguistics (41 works) · Cognitive psychology (25 works) · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition (21 works) · Cognition (20 works) · Comprehension (20 works) · Social Psychology (19 works) · Natural language processing (18 works) · Artificial Intelligence (16 works)