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Individual differences in syntactic ambiguity resolution: Readers vary in their use of plausibility information
- Source :
- Memory & Cognition. 36:375-391
- Publication Year :
- 2008
- Publisher :
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2008.
-
Abstract
- Two experiments investigated the relation between individual differences in working memory capacity and differences in the efficiency of syntactic processing. In one experiment, readers comprehended sentences containing main-verb/reduced-relative ambiguities that all resolved to the reduced-relative interpretation. High-span (but not low-span) readers processed sentences more slowly when the sentences were biased to the preferred, main-verb interpretation than when they were biased to the reduced-relative interpretation. Moreover, high-span (but not low-span) readers used information about the plausibility of the different interpretations even though low-span readers appeared to possess the requisite knowledge. In Experiment 2, readers received intensive exposure to sentences with main-verb/reduced-relative ambiguities. Exposure enhanced low-span readers' use of plausibility information. Moreover, the effect of exposure generalized to sentences that were not included in the training materials.
- Subjects :
- Concept Formation
media_common.quotation_subject
Individuality
Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Semantics
Article
Generalization, Psychological
Psycholinguistics
Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
Reading (process)
Concept learning
Reaction Time
Humans
Attention
media_common
Interpretation (logic)
Ambiguity
Syntax
Linguistics
Comprehension
Memory, Short-Term
Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology
Reading
Psychology
Cognitive psychology
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 15325946 and 0090502X
- Volume :
- 36
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Memory & Cognition
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....db000bd47561e71c61169afacfbaf829