Cognitive Model for Web Based Hypertext Comprehension

This study is concerned with the cognitive aspects of discourse processing in an electronic environment. A cognitive model for hypertext reading is proposed and validated with the use of think aloud protocols. The model, at this stage of development, is only concerned with the general cognitive processes that take place during reading a hypertext. That should be considered as the first step in the study of the strategies readers employ in hypertext reading and hypertext links’ selection. The preliminary results show that 76% of the codes correspond to the components of cognitive model, allowing us to conclude that the proposed model sufficiently describes the cognitive processes during hypertext reading.