THE ALLOCATION OF MEANING IN VERBAL JOKES

DAMM is a Dynamic Allocation Model of Meaning used to simulate the und erstanding of running situations by modelling the categorical allocati on and the changes of allocation of objects. Two of the mechanisms of the model are (a) an integration mechanism for categorical allocations and (b) a mechanism for the attentional shift of category. When appli ed to the understanding of texts that report verbal jokes, composed of two successive Interpretation and Reinterpretation Sentences both rel ated to a polysemous term, the first mechanism predicts a longer respo nse time for understanding the Reinterpretation Sentence. The second m echanism predicts a diminution of the response time of the Reinterpret ation Sentence when the category allowed for Reinterpretation was pre- cued. Experimental results are compatible with the predictions of this general model of understanding, both on the effect of the distance be tween categories and on the effect of having precued the category allo wed for Reinterpretation.