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Hutchinson, Amanda Platt, Ashley UniSA Justice and Society 2026-03-24 https://hdl.handle.net/2440/151124 iv, 184 pages This thesis explored the role of unexpected information during naturalistic language comprehension to determine if decreased predictability supported improved communication outcomes. Individuals listened to 12 short stories while measuring their electroencephalography, then were tested on their contextual understanding of each story. Using a novel contextual alignment metric and neurophysiological markers of individual differences, the findings of this thesis provided evidence for specific processing conditions which supported greater comprehension of unexpected story elements. Individuals with complementary internal and external processing conditions were suggested to prioritise updating of internal predictive models in response to unexpected information. These findings highlight the importance of considering individual and contextual differences during naturalistic language processing. Thesis (PhD (Psychology)) -- University of South Australia, UniSA Justice and Society, 2026 en unexpectedness naturalistic language comprehension electroencephalography Functional Unexpectedness: Reframing the role of predictability in language comprehension Thesis This electronic version is made publicly available by the University of South Australia in accordance with its open access policy for student theses. Copyright in this thesis remains with the author. This thesis may incorporate third party material which has been used by the author pursuant to Fair Dealing exceptions. If you are the owner of any included third party copyright material you wish to be removed from this electronic version, please notify the University copyright officer by emailing copyright@adelaide.edu.auopen.access