The aim of the present study was to investigate coherence monitoring in reading comprehension between young adults and adolescent. Coherence monitoring ability was examined in 26 young adults and...Show moreThe aim of the present study was to investigate coherence monitoring in reading comprehension between young adults and adolescent. Coherence monitoring ability was examined in 26 young adults and 29 adolescents by using an inconsistency paradigm. Participants read 16 stories with consistent information and 16 stories with inconsistent information, which also contained some filler sentences that separated the two pieces of conflicting information and aimed to shift readers' attention. The filler section varied in stories from three to six filler sentences. We also examined differences in participants' working memory capacity and reading ability that could possibly explain differences in coherence monitoring between them. The results suggested that both adults and adolescents were able to perceive violation of coherence by showing an inconsistency effect, by being slower reading inconsistent compare to consistent information of the texts and this effect did not decrease as textual distance increased. However only in the condition of six filler sentences young adults showed an inconsistency effect while reading text with inconsistent information compare to consistent information while adolescents did not. The results also showed that the two groups do not differ in their working memory capacity but they do differ in their reading ability with adults showing higher reading ability than adolescents. This difference in reading ability could possibly explain their difference in inconsistency effect in the section of six filler sentences.Show less
