The scheduling of text integration processes in reading

In two experiments using a self-paced reading task we explored how readers schedule the processes involved in representing text. Experiment I showed that processes concerned with increasing the coherence of the representation occur at the ends of sentences. Experiment II provided evidence that readers can modify and evaluate their representation before a sentence boundary, contrary to the type of processing scheme exemplified by H. H. Clark's Given-New strategy (Clark and Clark, 1977). A modification of the strategy is considered which renders it compatible with the data.