What the text does not say. The detection of inferential processes in children of preschool age

Abstract

Text comprehension subsumes different processes, some of which are often implemented unconsciously. Inferences are part of these unconscious mechanisms and constitute deductions carried out by the reader while reading a text. However, these processes are often not made explicit and stay implicit even for the reader himself. Starting from the text comprehension process and the classification of inferences, this paper suggests a method for detecting and analysing these mechanisms in pre-school age; it also aims to highlight which inferences are drawn most easily by children of preschool age.