Modeling Comprehension Processes via Automated Analyses of Dialogism

Mihai Dascalu, Laura K. Allen, Danielle S. McNamara, Stefan Trausan-Matu, Scott A. Crossley

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

Dialogism provides the grounds for building a comprehensive model of discourse and it is focused on the multiplicity of perspectives (i.e., voices). Dialogism can be present in any type of text, while voices become themes or recurrent topics emerging from the discourse. In this study, we examine the extent that differences between self-explanations and think-alouds can be detected using computational textual indices derived from dialogism. Students (n = 68) read a text about natural selection and were instructed to generate self-explanations or think-alouds. The linguistic features of these text responses were analyzed using ReaderBench, an automated text analysis tool. A discriminant function analysis using these features correctly classified 80.9% of the students' assigned experimental conditions (self-explanation vs. think aloud). Our results indicate that self-explanation promotes text processing that focuses on connected ideas, rather than separate voices or points of view covering multiple topics.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationCogSci 2017 - Proceedings of the 39th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society
Subtitle of host publicationComputational Foundations of Cognition
PublisherThe Cognitive Science Society
Pages1884-1889
Number of pages6
ISBN (Electronic)9780991196760
StatePublished - 2017
Event39th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society: Computational Foundations of Cognition, CogSci 2017 - London, United Kingdom
Duration: Jul 26 2017Jul 29 2017

Publication series

NameCogSci 2017 - Proceedings of the 39th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society: Computational Foundations of Cognition

Conference

Conference39th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society: Computational Foundations of Cognition, CogSci 2017
Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
CityLondon
Period7/26/177/29/17

Keywords

  • comprehension
  • dialogism
  • discourse analysis
  • polyphonic model
  • self-explanation
  • think-aloud

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Computer Science Applications
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Cognitive Neuroscience

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