Assessing Sentence Processing

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Questions and Answers

What is the term for the rules governing permissible word order in a native language?

Semantics

Syntax (correct)

Phonology

Morphology

What is the process of computing syntactic structure?

Semantics

Parsing (correct)

Morphology

Phonology

What is the term for the understanding of rules governing word order in a native language?

Tacit understanding

Explicit understanding

Implicit understanding (correct)

Intrinsic understanding

What is the grammatical composition of a sentence?

Syntactic structure Signup and view all the answers

What belongs to a grammatical category such as noun, verb, adjective, or determiner?

Individual words Signup and view all the answers

What do readers and listeners have an implicit understanding of in their native language?

Rules of word order Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary principle guiding the initial parsing decisions in the Garden Path Theory?

Syntactic knowledge Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of Referential context in sentence processing?

It can reduce or eliminate the garden path effect by biasing the reader towards a dis-preferred analysis Signup and view all the answers

In the Minimal Attachment principle, which analysis is initially adopted?

The analysis with the simplest syntactic structure Signup and view all the answers

What is the Visual World Task used to study?

Referential context in sentence processing Signup and view all the answers

According to Altmann (1989), what happens when a relative clause is required to disambiguate the referent of 'the horse'?

The sentence becomes less difficult to process Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary difference between the two options for analysing ambiguity in the sentence 'Put the frog on the napkin in the box'?

One option is more syntactically complex than the other Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary goal of the 'Stops making sense' task?

To measure readers' sensitivity to ambiguity Signup and view all the answers

In a self-paced reading task, what is the primary instruction to participants?

To indicate when they have read and understood each word or phrase Signup and view all the answers

Which theory of syntactic processing disallows extra-syntactic influences?

Garden Path theory Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary advantage of using eye movements during reading to study sentence processing?

It allows for examination of moment-by-moment processes in reading Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary goal of measuring time taken to make judgments about sentence acceptability?

To examine the processing of syntactic and semantic information Signup and view all the answers

Which method of studying sentence processing can be used to examine both syntactic and semantic processing?

EEG while listening/reading Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary challenge young children face in sentence processing, according to Trueswell et al. (1999)?

Inability to exploit the referential context under certain processing conditions Signup and view all the answers

What is the key finding of Hurewitz et al. (2000) regarding children's language development?

Children's failure to use referential context is specific to the comprehension process Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary goal of the Visual World Paradigm in studying sentence processing?

To investigate the use of referential context in resolving ambiguity Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary difference between children and adults in resolving ambiguity in sentence processing?

Children are less efficient in resolving ambiguity, while adults are more efficient Signup and view all the answers

What is the key characteristic of sentence processing in children, according to Hurewitz et al. (2000)?

Children produce modified NPs in felicitous contexts Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary implication of Trueswell et al. (1999) for theories of sentence processing?

Theories of sentence processing should incorporate both syntactic principles and referential context Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary principle guiding the referential interpretation of ambiguous sentences in the 'two frog' condition?

The Principle of Referential Success Signup and view all the answers

In the study by Trueswell et al. (1999), what was the primary difference in the processing strategies employed by children and adults in the 'two frog' condition?

Children used a syntactic analysis, while adults used a referential analysis Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary cognitive mechanism underlying the difference in processing strategies between children and adults in the study by Trueswell et al. (1999)?

Developmental differences in referential context awareness Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of the Visual World Paradigm in language development research?

To study the role of referential context in language development Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary advantage of using the Visual World Paradigm in language development research?

It allows for the study of real-time language processing Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary finding of the study by Trueswell et al. (1999) regarding the development of sentence processing strategies in children?

Children's sentence processing strategies are different from those of adults Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of syntactic structure in sentence processing?

To describe the grammatical composition of a sentence Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary goal of studying sentence processing in children?

To identify language processing strategies in children Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary advantage of using the Visual World Paradigm in sentence processing research?

It allows for the examination of both syntactic and semantic processing Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary role of referential context in sentence processing?

To disambiguate the meaning of ambiguous words Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary principle guiding the initial parsing decisions in sentence processing?

The Minimal Attachment principle Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary difference between children and adults in terms of sentence processing strategies?

Children use a more incremental processing strategy Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Understanding Sentence Structure

Syntax refers to the rules governing permissible word order in a native language.
Readers have an implicit understanding of these rules.
Syntax describes the grammatical composition of a sentence.

Parsing and Syntactic Structure

Individual words belong to a grammatical category (e.g., noun, verb, adjective, determiner).
Parsing/syntactic processing describes the process of computing syntactic structure.
Syntactic structure can be broken down into components, such as verb phrase, noun phrase, and determiner.

Garden Path Theory

Initial parsing decisions depend on syntactic knowledge and two parsing principles: minimal attachment and late closure.
Extra-syntactic knowledge does not influence initial parsing decisions.
Examples of sentences that illustrate the garden path effect include "The horse raced past the farmhouse stumbled and fell" and "Put the frog on the napkin in the box."

Minimal Attachment Principle

The minimal attachment principle requires that readers initially adopt the analysis of an ambiguity that has the simplest structure.
This principle is demonstrated by the example sentence "The horse raced past the farmhouse stumbled and fell."

Role of Referential Context in Sentence Processing

Prior referential context can reduce or eliminate the garden path effect by biasing the reader towards adopting a dis-preferred analysis.
Visual context can also have a similar effect.
An example story illustrates how referential context can influence sentence processing.