Distance Effects in Surface Structures and Situation Models

Abstract

We investigated the role of spatial distance in situation models, surface recency, and explicit mentioning of target items in the updating of situation models created from narratives. In 3 experiments, a distance effect on accessibility was observed: The accessibility of target items (objects and rooms) contained in the situation model decreased with increasing distance between the target and the reader's focus of attention. The first 2 experiments demonstrated that this distance effect was mainly spatial: Accessibility of targets depended on the number of rooms located between the target and the focus of attention, that is, the protagonist's location in the situation model. Recency in the surface structure of the narrative affected accessibility only when strong surface cues were available. Additionally, the high accessibility of objects located in the same room as the protagonist did not depend on the text explicitly stating the name of the room. The findings corroborate the importance of spatial distance represented in situation models, thereby supporting multilevel theories of text comprehension.