Testing the JANUS model of noun-phrase anaphor interpretation

In well-written text the same people, places, and things are referred to a number of times. Such repeated references often use different linguistic expressions "the person in the butcher's shop" followed by "the man" or "he", for example. These changes seem natural, but they need a scientific explanation. One account, developed on a previous ESRC project. is called JANUS, because it claims that readers must take account of both what has already been said and of what might be said in the upcoming text. Linking back is primarily sorting out repeated reference. Linking forward is less well studied, but includes anticipating changes in perspective. JANUS claims that anticipating a change in perspective calls for more specific expressions. For example if the person in the butchers is referred to as "the footballer", not "he", the text is probably going to switch to their sporting activities.
By measuring reading times for parts of texts, the project tests some specific predictions of JANUS, which contrast with other models. It will clarify basic processes of text comprehension and,in doing so, contribute to designing clear texts and understanding how comprehension breaks down, for example, in brain injury or degenerative disease. Ethics approval has been obtained