Effect of working and semantic memory on inferencing comprehension

Abstract

This study examines the connection between working and semantic memory and its effect on the reading process, specifically inferential comprehension. Research indicates many of the cognitive processes involved in inferential comprehension depend on the capacity and functionality of the working and semantic memory. Hypothesizing that inferential comprehension of the grade 3 and 4 participants was breaking down due to the processes required of the working and semantic memory, an organizational inferencing strategy was implemented. The strategy was designed to help students make connections between text and themselves, subsequently supporting inferential comprehension. Those connections can only occur if the ability to organize information in a systematic way is effective, which is dependent on the usage of available working memory capacity.