Limited Attention and Discourse Structure

1995/12/18 by Marilyn Walker, Marilyn A. Walker, Walker, Marilyn A.
Computer Science · Neuroscience · Psychology · #Computation and Language (cs.CL) #FOS: Computer and information sciences #Language Development and Disorders #Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism #Reading and Literacy Development #cmp-lg #cs.CL

paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.cmp-lg/9512003

9 pages, uses twoside,cl,lingmacros

openalex publication_date 1995/12/18 · arxiv created 1996/08/14 · arxiv updated 2009/11/30 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

This squib examines the role of limited attention in a theory of discourse structure and proposes a model of attentional state that relates current hierarchical theories of discourse structure to empirical evidence about human discourse processing capabilities. First, I present examples that are not predicted by Grosz and Sidner's stack model of attentional state. Then I consider an alternative model of attentional state, the cache model, which accounts for the examples, and which makes particular processing predictions. Finally I suggest a number of ways that future research could distinguish the predictions of the cache model and the stack model.

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