Work

What Understanding Is For

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Rendering understanding as a general causal account is problematic. This leads us toward accusations of partial understanding, or illusory understanding, characterized by understanding that lacks depth. The discourse comprehension literature offers an alternative: rendering understanding as the construction of a situation model, a model that integrates knowledge, purpose, and context. On this account, the question is never whether understanding is complete, but whether it is adequate for what it aims to achieve.

Source: Computational Brain & Behavior

DOI: 10.1007/s42113-026-00300-z

Authors: Benjamin A. Motz, Joseph P. Magliano, Kathryn S. McCarthy, Danielle S. McNamara

Institutions: Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana University, Georgia State University, Arizona State University

Language: English

Topic: Reading and Literacy Development

Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,290

OpenAlex ID: W7154288493