Noticing and revising discrepancies as texts unfold

Readers attempt to build coherent representations for what they read, but those representations may fail to capture the actual content of texts. For example, although narrative situations often change dramatically as plots unfold, readers do not necessarily revise what they know to accurately represent the current state of affairs in a text. This study investigated the conditions that might foster revision, and the temporal locus of potential revision activity. In 2 experiments, participants read stories that afforded the opportunity to build trait models of characters. Trait descriptions were either immediately refuted or supported with further evidence. Participants revised their models of characters when provided with causal explanations. They did not revise, however, when previous character information was simply refuted. Revision, when it occurred, was observed immediately after refutations were provided. Whether they revised or not, though, participants appeared to readily notice the discrepancies suggested by refutations. The results of this study further outline the nature of narrative updating, as well as the revision failures that can influence readers' comprehension of unfolding texts.