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Limited Attention and Discourse Structure

Marilyn A. Walker
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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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Marilyn A. Walker. 1996-08-14. Limited Attention and Discourse Structure. https://arxiv.org/abs/cmp-lg/9512003

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