Search processes in answering questions about stories: A possible model

Abstract

Anderson's (1976) ACT theory was slightly modified and applied to Wh-question answering and to natural prose materials. Assuming Anderson's memory representation of sentences, the hearing or reading of a question activates the memory representations of the content words in the question. Activation fromall the content words spreads in parallel along paths linking those words and the words to the proposition node. Activation from the different content words intersects at a node. After intersection, the labels on the paths leading to the intersection are checked, and if the labels are appropriate, the answer is given. In the case of negative questions, questions whose answer is “not told” because the answer is not in the story, the situation is more complex. The model generated 10 predictions, for both positive and negative questions, and all predictions were supported. In line with all previous research, negative questions, collapsed over all variables, took longer to respond to than positive questions, also collapsed over all variables. This was interpreted as a more extensive search taking place with negatives.