Abstract

The chapter attempts to provide a model for engaging with representations that does not use the notion of the imagination or make-believe. Instead, it attempts to explain such engagement in terms of what Philip Johnson Laird calls ‘mental models’. The discussion divides into two parts. First, drawing on the work of Arthur Graesser, Gail McKoon and Roger Ratcliffe and others, it provides a model of our understanding written representations. Second, drawing on the work of Richard Gerrig and others, it provides a model of our reacting to written representations, including our reacting with emotions. The psychology in this second part is linked to philosophical discussion by the likes of Noel Carroll and Amy Coplan.