Factors That Influence Skilled and Less-Skilled Comprehenders’ Inferential Processing During and After Reading

This study examines factors that influence readers’ cognitive processing (i.e., inference generation) and the development of a mental representation text: comprehension skill working memory (WM). Elementary students (N = 61) participated in causal questioning conditions with narrative texts to examine text- knowledge-based inferences generated when probed during versus after reading. Recalls were examined assess representations after-reading answering questions. Skilled comprehenders more goal- subgoal-related text-based reading included original text information less background knowledge their recalls than did less-skilled comprehenders. high WM also goal-related those low WM. Findings support extend previous research regarding how readers struggle generation may further inform interventions help improve struggling texts.