TABLE 1.

Sample stimulus set

a. Narrative followed by narrative (continuous presentation)	Susan wanted to buy Tom a puppy as a Christmas present.
	She told him about the idea in advance.
	She went to the pet store last weekend.
	The Dalmatian puppies were the cutest.
	[+]Chris picked Laura for the track team even though they hate each other.
	[+]He really wants to win the next meet.
	[+]He runs the 100 metre and the 500 metre events.
	[+]It takes a lot of dedicated practice to succeed at racing.
	T or F: Susan wanted to buy Tom a kitten.
	[T or F: Laura is Chris's best friend.]
b. Narrative interrupted by narrative interleaved presentation)	Susan wanted to buy Tom a puppy as a Christmas present.
	[+]Chris picked Laura for the track team even though they hate each other.
	She told him about the idea in advance.
	[+]He really wants to win the next meet.
	She went to the pet store last weekend.
	[+]He runs the 100 metre and the 500 metre events.
	The Dalmatian puppies were the cutest.
	[+]It takes a lot of dedicated practice to succeed at racing.
	T or F: Susan wanted to buy Tom a kitten.
	[T or F: Laura is Chris's best friend.]
c. Exposition followed by exposition	Neanderthal men walked erect and had big brains.
	Though they were in other ways more primitive than Homo sapiens, they represent a great evolutionary stride.
	One striking example is their use of technology to overcome the environment.
	For instance, we know from evidence that Neanderthal men wore clothes.
	[+]The peak of Minoan civilisation came about 1600 BC.
	[+]A century or so later, the Minoan palaces were mysteriously destroyed.
	[+]Historians have speculated that a great eruption may have occurred on the island of Thera at a suitable time.
	[+]This could have been accompanied by tidal waves and earthquakes that led to destruction in Crete.
	T or F: Neanderthal man was more advanced than Homo sapiens.
	[T or F: The Minoan civilisation was at its peak around 2500 BC.]
d. Exposition interrupted by exposition	Neanderthal men walked erect and had big brains
	[+]The peak of Minoan civilisation came about 1600 BC.
	Though they were in other ways more primitive than Homo sapiens, they represent a great evolutionary stride.
	[+]A century or so later, the Minoan palaces were mysteriously destroyed.
	One striking example is their use of technology to overcome the environment.
	[+]Historians have speculated that a great eruption may have occurred on the island of Thera at a suitable time.
	For instance, we know from evidence that Neanderthal men wore clothes.
	[+]This could have been accompanied by tidal waves and earthquakes that led to destruction in Crete.
	T or F: Neanderthal man was more advanced than Homo sapiens.
	[T or F: The Minoan civilisation was at its peak around 2500 BC.]
e. Narrative followed by exposition	Susan wanted to buy Tom a puppy as a Christmas present.
	She told him about the idea in advance.
	She went to the pet store last weekend.
	The Dalmatian puppies were the cutest.
	[+]The peak of Minoan civilisation came about 1600 BC.
	[+]A century or so later, the Minoan palaces were mysteriously destroyed.
	[+]Historians have speculated that a great eruption may have occurred on the island of Thera at a suitable time.
	[+]This could have been accompanied by tidal waves and earthquakes that led to destruction in Crete.
	T or F: Susan wanted to buy Tom a kitten.
	[T or F: The Minoan civilisation was at its peak around 2500 BC.]
f. Narrative interrupted by exposition	Susan wanted to buy Tom a puppy as a Christmas present.
	[+]The peak of Minoan civilisation came about 1600 BC.
	She told him about the idea in advance.
	[+]A century or so later, the Minoan palaces were mysteriously destroyed.
	She went to the pet store last weekend.
	[+]Historians have speculated that a great eruption may have occurred on the island of Thera at a suitable time.
	The Dalmatian puppies were the cutest.
	[+]This could have been accompanied by tidal waves and earthquakes that led to destruction in Crete.
	T or F: Susan wanted to buy Tom a kitten.
	[T or F: The Minoan civilisation was at its peak around 2500 BC.]
g. Exposition followed by narrative	Neanderthal men walked erect and had big brains.
	Though they were in other ways more primitive than Homo sapiens, they represent a great evolutionary stride.
	One striking example is their use of technology to overcome the environment.
	For instance, we know from evidence that Neanderthal men wore clothes.
	[+]Chris picked Laura for the track team even though they hate each other.
	[+]He really wants to win the next meet.
	[+]He runs the 100 metre and the 500 metre events.
	[+]It takes a lot of dedicated practice to succeed at racing.
	T or F: Neanderthal man was more advanced than Homo sapiens.
	[T or F: Laura is Chris's best friend.]
h. Exposition interrupted by narrative	Neanderthal men walked erect and had big brains.
	[+]Chris picked Laura for the track team even though they hate each other.
	Though they were in other ways more primitive than Homo sapiens, they represent a great evolutionary stride.
	[+]He really wants to win the next meet.
	One striking example is their use of technology to overcome the environment.
	[+]He runs the 100 metre and the 500 metre events.
	For instance, we know from evidence that Neanderthal men wore clothes.
	[+]It takes a lot of dedicated practice to succeed at racing.
	T or F: Neanderthal man was more advanced than Homo sapiens.
	[T or F: Laura is Chris's best friend.]

A sample stimulus set, created by combinations of a primary and secondary narrative and a primary and secondary exposition in continuous and interleaved forms. The plus signs (explicit markers of the secondary passage) were present in Experiment 1, but removed in Experiment 2. The second comprehension question was included in Experiment 2 (but not in Experiment 1). Each participant was presented with two passages from this set, the two mutually exclusive passages of the same presentation type (a. and c., or b. and d., for example).