Language Flashcards
Phonemic Restoration
A phoneme in a spoken word in a sentence can be perceived even if it is obscured by noise. Knowledge of meaning helps “fill in the blanks.”
Speech segmentation
Individual words are perceived in spoken sentences even though there are usually no breaks between the words in the speech stimulus.
Word superiority
Letters presented visually are easier to recognize when in a word.
Word frequency effect
We respond more rapidly to high-frequency words like home than to low-frequency words like hike.
Lexical decision task
Identify whether each entry in a list is a word, faster RT for high-frequency words
Lexical Ambiguity
Words can have more than one meaning. “Bug”
Biased Dominance
When words have two or more meanings with different dominances (“tin” metal occurs more than “tin” container)
Syntax-first approach
Parsing approach that states that as people read a sentence, their grouping of words into phrases is governed by rules based on syntax.
Late closure
When a person encounters a new word, the person’s parsing mechanism assumes that this word is part of the current phrase, so each new word is added to the current phrase for as long as possible.
Interactionist approach
The idea that information provided by both syntax and semantics is taken into account simultaneously as we read or listen to a sentence.
Visual world paradigm
“Put the apple on the towel in the box” measured eye movements as subjects looked at the display, either with 2 apples or just 1. Interpretation of a sentence is determined by the scene they are observing.
Broca’s aphasia
Frontal lobe damage affects syntax
Wernicke’s aphasia
Temporal lobe damage affects semantics
Anaphoric inferences
Inferences that connect an object or person in one sentence to an object or person in another sentence. “Raffifi, the famous poodle, won the dog show. She has now won…”
Instrument inferences
Inferences about tools or methods (Shakespeare’s desk)
