Children's Constructive Processing and Monitoring of Stories Containing Anomalous Information

SCHMIDT, CONSTANCE R.; SCHMIDT, STEPHEN R.; and TOMALIS, SUSAN M. Children's Constructive Processing and Monitoring of Stories Containing Anomalous Information. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1984, 55, 2056-2071. The development of integration and comprehension monitoring was examined in 2 studies. Children listened to stories containing a nonspecific premise, 2 sentences that converged on an interpretation of the premise, and an anomalous sentence. Children were asked to make an inference based on the 2 convergent sentences and to report any inconsistencies in the stories. The anomalous sentence either preceded or followed the convergent sentences. Across the 2 experiments, 5-year-olds made more convergent inferences when the anomalous information came last than when it came first. 4-year-olds and 8-year-olds, however, were unaffected by the position of the anomalous sentence. These data, taken in conjunction with observed developmental changes in monitoring, in the reported bases for inferences, and in distortions of story information, were interpreted as evidence for 3 developmental levels of integrative processing: (1) independent treatment of related sentences and/or idiosyncratic integration of sentences with extra-story information, (2) intrastory integration without reorganization of initially incorrect schemes, and (3) intrastory integration with reorganization of schemes when sufficient inconsistent information is presented.