Memory-based approaches and beyond

In this article, we discuss 2 issues that we believe any theory of discourse comprehension has to take account of-accessing irrelevant information and granularity. Along the lines that have been suggested as demonstrating the memory-based account, we describe some work in favor of the recruitment of apparently irrelevant information from memory during reading. In all cases, this information interferes with comprehension. We argue that the nature of interference can be instructive about stylistic effects and most clearly demonstrates the involvement of the process in comprehension. The second issue we discuss is granularity, or how specifically a concept is represented. We claim that granularity of representation is relevant to comprehension and discuss the problem in terms of scenario theory and the concept of readiness.