Elaboration of Elaborative-explanatory Inferences in Spanish Speakers: A Preliminary Approach

Abstract

The present study aimed to identify what types of inferences, within the group of elaborative-explanatory inferences, were generated by 18 Spanish speakers from L1 and L2 (Spanish as first language and second language) aged between 20 to 23 years from three different cultural groups (Mexico, Colombia, and China), as well as to determine if there were significant differences between them after reading texts in Spanish on selected topics of Mexican culture. The results obtained show that the groups studied use different types of inferences, among which the greatest occurrence were those of direct cause and modality. This was due to the themes presented, the type of text, and the level of knowledge of the participants. A statistical analysis was carried out in which it was concluded that there were no significant differences or association between variables. Such results were corroborated with a chi-square and V-Cramer test. However, the explanatory-elaborative evaluative inferences had a greater effect compared to the rest of the inferences. Nevertheless, to reaffirm the findings of this work, it is necessary to have a larger sample that allows more solid conclusions to be drawn.