Lecture 7 - Language Processing Flashcards
1
Q
What influences the meaning of language?
A
- Semantics: The meaning of words
- Syntax: Sentence structure and thematic roles (who is doing what to whom)
- Pragmatics: The influence of context on meaning
2
Q
What are key features of sentence processing?
A
- Immediacy: Interpretation begins as soon as words are heard or read
- Lexical ambiguity: Words with multiple meanings (e.g., “bank”)
- Lexical ambiguity: Sentences with multiple possible structures or interpretations
3
Q
What did Warren (1970) demonstrate in the Phoneme Restoration Effect? Any limitation?
A
- Participants “heard” missing phonemes that were replaced by a cough, depending on context (e.g., eel –> wheel/meal/reel/peel)
- Demonstrates top-down processing
- Limitation: Retrospective design
4
Q
How do eye movements support sentence comprehension?
A
- Reading: Eye fixations indicate processing load
- Listening: Object fixation can show focus comprehension
5
Q
How does context affect reading time? (Morris, 1994) Which principle does this support?
A
- Fixation on the word “moustache” was shorter when preceded by “barber” vs. “person”
- Supports the immediacy principle: interpretation starts immediately
6
Q
Why do we interpret language immediately rather than wait for full sentences?
A
- Working memory limitations
- Processing speed efficiency
- Example: Google’s autocomplete
7
Q
What is lexical ambiguity (polysemy)?
A
- Words like “bank” have multiple meanings (e.g., riverbank or financial institution)
- Interpretation may involve:
- Multiple access: All meanings activated
- Selective access: Only contextually appropriate meaning activated
- Meaning dominance: More frequent meanings accessed faster
8
Q
How did Swinney (1979) study ambiguity and meaning activation? What did he find?
A
- He used cross-
