Centering theory, developed within computational linguistics, provides
an account of ways in which patterns of interutterance reference can
promote the local coherence of discourse. It states that each utteranc
e in a coherent discourse segment contains a single semantic entity-th
e backward-looking center-that provides a link to the previous utteran
ce, and an ordered set of entities-the forward-looking centers-that of
fer potential links to the next utterance. We report five reading-time
experiments that test predictions of this theory with respect to the
conditions under which it is preferable to realize (refer to) an entit
y using a pronoun rather than a repeated definite description or name.
The experiments show that there is a single backward-looking center t
hat is preferentially realized as a pronoun, and that the backward-loo
king center is typically realized as the grammatical subject of the ut
terance. They also provide evidence that there is a set of forward-loo
king centers that is ranked in terms of prominence, and that a key fac
tor in determining prominence-surface-initial position-does not affect
determination of the backward-looking center. This provides evidence
for the dissociation of the coherence processes of looking backward an
d looking forward.