Marvel’s Captain America Civil War poster: An analysis based on the Grammar of Visual Design

Movie posters, a multimodal genre used to attract viewers, are a complex form of communication that contains verbal and visual semiotic resources. The entertainment company Marvel has created a cinematic universe where movie posters play an essential role in marketing. Despite Marvel’s global influence in sociocultural practices, few studies investigate its movie posters. Hence, this study analyzes the visual structures used in the Captain America: Civil War theatrical movie poster, drawing on the Grammar of Visual Design, specifically the representational, interactive, and compositional metafunctions. Regarding the representational metafunction, results show a bidirectional transaction, highlighting the faceoff between the two teams of heroes. Their symmetry also hints at classificational processes. Concerning interactional meanings, the heroes gaze at each other, inviting viewers to observe the image from a social distance while keeping some detachment. Moreover, the camera angle creates an equal power relation between the main heroes and viewers. Finally, compositional meanings strengthen the separation between the two teams through different elements, but they simultaneously indicate the teams will reunite. Thus, these three kinds of visual meanings together provide an adequate summary of the movie plot and aptly contribute to the construal of a future conflict between the two teams

Working Memory: State of the Science, a Review

Working memory (WM) is a cognitive system that enables the simultaneous manipulation and storage of information, allowing the accomplishment of everyday activities, from the simplest to the most complex ones. Given its relevance, WM has been a prolific topic of study in cognitive psychology and related sciences. Several researchers have developed models to explain how WM is organized, how it interacts with other cognitive systems, how it supports processing and maintenance functions, among diverse specificities. From the first theoretical framework proposed by Baddeley and Hitch (1974) until today, research has advanced quite substantially based on various data sources such as behavioral, cognitive, neuroimaging, and computer modeling studies. After twenty-two years since the publication of the book entitled “Models of Working Memory: Mechanisms of Active Maintenance and Executive Control”, edited by Miyake and Shah (1999), Logie, Camos, and Cowan invited proponents of competing WM models to answer a series of questions in their new book entitled ‘Working Memory: State of the Science’ aiming to provide a comprehensive and integrative account of the current scenario.Working memory (WM) is a cognitive system that enables the simultaneous manipulation and storage of information, allowing the accomplishment of everyday activities, from the simplest to the most complex ones. Given its relevance, WM has been a prolific topic of study in cognitive psychology and related sciences. Several researchers have developed models to explain how WM is organized, how it interacts with other cognitive systems, how it supports processing and maintenance functions, among diverse specificities. From the first theoretical framework proposed by Baddeley and Hitch (1974) until today, research has advanced quite substantially based on various data sources such as behavioral, cognitive, neuroimaging, and computer modeling studies. After twenty-two years since the publication of the book entitled “Models of Working Memory: Mechanisms of Active Maintenance and Executive Control”, edited by Miyake and Shah (1999), Logie, Camos, and Cowan invited proponents of competing WM models to answer a series of questions in their new book entitled ‘Working Memory: State of the Science’ aiming to provide a comprehensive and integrative account of the current scenario

A scoping review of inferential reading comprehension research in the present decade

Inferential comprehension has had a notable role in reading comprehension research, with many studies investigating the process in different contexts. Several researchers have proposed models of reading comprehension where inference generation has great prominence (GAGNÉ; YEKOVICH; YEKOVICH, 1993; KINTSCH; VAN DIJK, 1978; VAN DEN BROEK et al., 1999). That said, the objective of this study was to conduct a scoping review that proposed to discover the focus of studies about inferential reading comprehension in the present decade through the Periódicos da Capes platform. This study consisted of bibliographical research (GIL, 2017), comprising a sample of twelve studies. To analyze the articles, we explored the following aspects: inference types, offline and online methods of measuring comprehension, narrative and expository text types, individual differences, and L1 and L2 research. We presented a summary and critical appraisal of each one according to the topics outlined. The results showed that English was the prevalent language investigated considering L1 and L2, most studies used offline methods to measure comprehension, and narrative texts were the most popular in inferential reading research. It was out of the scope of this study to include research with cognitively impaired participants, studies conducted in graduate courses not published in peer-reviewed journals, and articles available only on other platforms, such as Web of Science, ResearchGate, and others. Despite the limitations, this study offered insight regarding future research in inferential reading comprehension. We suggest future studies employ online and offline measures, distinguish differences in inferential processes between text types, and explore individual differences in inference generation.A compreensão inferencial tem um papel notável na pesquisa em compreensão leitora, com muitos estudos investigando esse processo em diferentes contextos. Diversos pesquisadores têm proposto modelos de compreensão leitora nos quais a geração de inferências tem grande destaque (GAGNÉ; YEKOVICH; YEKOVICH, 1993; KINTSCH; VAN DIJK, 1978; VAN DEN BROEK et al., 1999). Isto posto, o objetivo deste estudo foi conduzir um mapeamento para descobrir o foco dos estudos sobre compreensão inferencial leitora nesta década, por meio da plataforma Periódicos da Capes. Este estudo consistiu em uma pesquisa bibliográfica (GIL, 2017), composta por uma amostra de doze estudos. Para analisar os artigos, nós exploramos os seguintes aspectos: tipos de inferência, métodos offline e online para medir a compreensão leitora, textos narrativos e expositivos, diferenças individuais e pesquisa em L1 e L2. Foram apresentados um resumo e uma avaliação crítica de cada estudo conforme os tópicos delineados. Os resultados mostraram que o inglês foi a língua predominantemente investigada, considerando L1 e L2, a maioria dos estudos utilizou métodos offline para medir a compreensão leitora, e os textos narrativos foram os mais populares nas pesquisas com inferências. Excluiu-se do escopo do estudo os artigos que os participantes tinham impedimentos cognitivos, as pesquisas conduzidas em cursos de pós-graduação que não foram publicadas em periódicos revisados ??por pares, e artigos disponíveis somente em outras plataformas de pesquisa, como Web of Science, ResearchGate e outras. Apesar das limitações descritas, o presente estudo possibilitou vislumbrar futuras pesquisas em compreensão leitora inferencial. Sugerem-se estudos futuros que utilizem medidas online e offline de verificação da compreensão leitora, que estabeleçam uma distinção entre os processos inferenciais envolvidos na leitura de diferentes tipos de texto, e que examinem diferenças individuais na geração de inferências

Schema activation and working memory: the effect of different prereading activities on pre-intermediate and advanced Brazilian EFL students? reading comprehension

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Comunicação e Expressão, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Inglês: Estudos Linguísticos e Literários, Florianópolis, 2019.Este estudo teve como objetivo investigar os efeitos de duas atividades de pré-leitura, a Redefinição Contextual (RC) e uma versão modificada do Organizador Gráfico (OG), na compreensão leitora de estudantes de nível pré-intermediário e avançado de inglês como língua estrangeira e investigar se há uma correlação entre sua capacidade de memória de trabalho (MT), medida pelo Reading Span Test (RST) e os resultados obtidos em cada uma das condições das atividades de pré-leitura. Um grupo de trinta adolescentes e adultos de um curso particular de inglês no sul do Brasil participou deste estudo. Os instrumentos utilizados foram um teste de proficiência em leitura; três textos para o grupo pré-intermediário (PI) e três para o grupo avançado (AVA); um conjunto de dez palavras desconhecidas para cada texto, um conjunto de dez frases contendo as palavras e um conjunto de dez verbetes de dicionário relacionadas às palavras para RC; diagramas que refletem o padrão organizacional dos textos contendo suas ideias principais para a OG; orações para o RST; um livreto para os participantes fazerem o RST; uma folha para a tarefa de recordação livre por escrito; seis questões de compreensão para cada texto; quatro questionários retrospectivos a serem respondidos após a realização do RST e após cada uma das condições de atividades de préleitura e um questionário de perfil. A coleta de dados ocorreu em dois encontros. No primeiro encontro, os estudantes responderam ao questionário de perfil, fizeram o teste de proficiência em leitura e tiveram sua capacidade de memória de trabalho medida pelo RST. No segundo encontro, cada grupo leu três textos em três condições diferentes: tratamento com RC, tratamento com OG e controle. Foram utilizadas duas medidas de compreensão: recordação livre por escrito (RLE) e questões de compreensão (QC). A análise quantitativa dos dados revelou que o RC teve um efeito negativo na compreensão leitora dos alunos do grupo PI, medida por RLE e QC, enquanto que teve um efeito positivo na compreensão de leitura dos alunos do grupo AVA, medida pelas QC. Quando medida pela RLE, a RC teve um efeito negativo na compreensão leitora do grupo AVA. A OG teve um efeito positivo na compreensão leitora dos alunos do grupo PI, medida por RLE e QC, enquanto teve um efeito negativo na compreensão leitora dos alunos do grupo AVA, medida por RLE e nenhum efeito quando medida por QC. Para o grupo PI, houve uma correlação positiva significativa entre os escores estritos de MT e RLE/ QC quando os estudantes receberam tratamento com RC. Além disso, para o grupo PI, houve uma correlação positiva significativa entre os escores lenientes de MT e a RLE e entre os escores estritos de MT e a QC quando os estudantes receberam tratamento com OG. Para o grupo AVA, não foram encontradas correlações significativas quando ambas as atividades de pré-leitura foram usadas. A análise qualitativa dos dados deu suporte aos achados quantitativos, fornecendo evidências de que a RC foi benéfica para os estudantes AVA, enquanto a OG favoreceu os estudantes de PI.Abstract: This study aimed at investigating the effects of two prereading activities, namely Contextual Redefinition and a modified version of the Graphic Organizer, on the reading comprehension of pre-intermediate and advanced Brazilian English as a foreign language (EFL) students and investigating whether there was a correlation between students? working memory (WM) capacity as measured by the Reading Span Test (RST) and the results obtained in each of the prereading activities conditions. A group of thirty teenage and adult students from a private English course in the south of Brazil participated in this study. The instruments of this research were a reading proficiency test; three texts for the pre-intermediate (PI) group and three texts for the advanced (ADV) group; a set of ten unfamiliar words for each text, a set of ten sentences containing the words, and a set of ten dictionary entries related to the words for the prereading activity Contextual Redefinition (CR); diagrams that reflected the organizational pattern of the texts containing their main ideas for the prereading activity Graphic Organizer (GO); sentences for the RST; a booklet for participants to take the RST; a handout for the written free recall task; six comprehension questions for each text; four retrospective questionnaires to be answered after taking the RST and after each of the prereading activities conditions and one profile questionnaire. Data collection took place in two encounters. In the first encounter, students answered the profile questionnaire, took the reading proficiency test, and had their working memory capacity measured by the RST. In the second encounter, each group read three texts in three different conditions: treatment with CR, treatment with GO and no treatment. Two measures of comprehension were used: written free recall (WFR) and comprehension questions (CQ). Quantitative analysis of the data revealed that the CR had a negative effect on PI EFL students? reading comprehension as measured by WFR and CQ whereas it had a positive effect on ADV EFL students? reading comprehension as measured by CQ. When measured by WFR, the CR had a negative effect on ADV participants? reading comprehension. The GO had a positive effect on PI EFL students? reading comprehension as measured by WFR and CQ whereas it had a negative effect on ADV EFL students? reading comprehension as measured by WFR and no effect when it was measured by CQ. For the PI group, there was a significant positive correlation between WM strict scores (SS) and WFR/CQ when students received treatment with CR. Also, for the PI group, there was a significant positive correlation between WM lenient scores and WFR and between WM SS and CQ when students received treatment with GO. For the ADV group, no significant correlations were found when both prereading activities were used. Qualitative analysis of the data gave support to the quantitative findings providing evidence that the CR was beneficial to ADV students whereas the GO favored PI students