Making Explanatory Inferences in the Comprehension of Expository Texts: The Role of Verbal Ability, Working Memory, and Selective Attention

This research aimed to study the role of selective atten-tion, the retention and executive components of working memory, and verbal aptitude in producing explanatory inferences in the comprehension of expository texts. For this purpose, 171 undergraduates completed tests of working memory, selective attention, verbal aptitude, and explanatory inference questionnaires after reading expository texts. The results of the structural equation modeling indicated that the production of explanatory inferences is determined directly by verbal aptitude and the executive component of verbal working memory. The analysis also detected a mediation interaction effect between the abilities to produce explanatory inferences, selective attention span, and the ability to store verbal information in working memory. These components in-directly affected the ability to infer via the executive component of working memory. This suggest that the ability to make explanatory inferences in the comprehen-sion of expository texts is strongly related to verbal aptitude and the capacity to process information in working memory, while the ability to manage selective attention and retain verbal information in short-term memory have an impact on the ability to generate in-ferences mediated by working memory.