The Independence of The Independence of Syntactic ProcessingSyntactic Processing

Advanced PsycholinguisticsAdvanced Psycholinguistics

Presenter: Dong-Bo HsuPresenter: Dong-Bo Hsu

02/09/0602/09/06

To Verify the Modular View To Verify the Modular View

What is the module? What is the module? The subcomponents of the linguistic functionsThe subcomponents of the linguistic functions Modular Approach to Syntactic ProcessingModular Approach to Syntactic Processing Autonomous/Independent ProcessingAutonomous/Independent Processing Information EncapsulationInformation Encapsulation No semantic/thematic or pragmatic No semantic/thematic or pragmatic

information can penetrate the initial processinginformation can penetrate the initial processing

Modular Representation in Syntactic Modular Representation in Syntactic ProcessingProcessing

Minimal attachment Minimal attachment (MA) dominates (MA) dominates

the initial the initial representationrepresentation of syntactic of syntactic processingprocessing

The implications of MA approach in The implications of MA approach in syntactic processingsyntactic processing

1. Reduce the memory load and efficient in 1. Reduce the memory load and efficient in processingprocessing

2. Result in the garden path2. Result in the garden path 3. MA strategy, not influenced by non-3. MA strategy, not influenced by non-

syntactic informationsyntactic information

How to Support A Modular View How to Support A Modular View ExperimentallyExperimentally

The Reasoning and Goal of the DesignThe Reasoning and Goal of the Design 1. To demonstrate that no thematic/semantic 1. To demonstrate that no thematic/semantic

information----initial syntactic processinginformation----initial syntactic processing 2. Pragmatic or contextual information cannot 2. Pragmatic or contextual information cannot

bias the initial syntactic processingbias the initial syntactic processing 3. At most, contextual influence comes in in a 3. At most, contextual influence comes in in a

later stage, not initiallater stage, not initial

Experiment I: the influence of Experiment I: the influence of thematic informationthematic information

1a. The defendant / examined / by the lawyer/1a. The defendant / examined / by the lawyer/ c-2 c-1 c (disambiguate)c-2 c-1 c (disambiguate) turned out / to be unreliable. turned out / to be unreliable. c+2 (animate, reduced)c+2 (animate, reduced)

1b. The evidence / examined / by the lawyer /1b. The evidence / examined / by the lawyer / turned out to be unreliable.turned out to be unreliable.

The PredictionThe Prediction

The modular viewThe modular view 1. Syntactic processing- initially construct MA 1. Syntactic processing- initially construct MA

analysis analysis 2.Thematic information has no influence 2.Thematic information has no influence 3. No processing difference in reading regions 3. No processing difference in reading regions

c and c+1c and c+1 4. (possible) c-1 take longer to read, 4. (possible) c-1 take longer to read, subjects detect the anomalous nature, the subjects detect the anomalous nature, the

evidenceevidence

The interactive viewThe interactive view 1. Thematic information can aid syntactic 1. Thematic information can aid syntactic

processing, especially in the initial stageprocessing, especially in the initial stage 2. c and c+1 will be read faster because of the 2. c and c+1 will be read faster because of the

aid of thematic informationaid of thematic information

The Apparatus and MaterialsThe Apparatus and Materials

Apparatus: Dual PurkinjApparatus: Dual Purkinjie Eyetracker interfaced ie Eyetracker interfaced with a Hewlett-Packard with a Hewlett-Packard 2100 computer 2100 computer

16 sentences with fillers 16 sentences with fillers and intermixed with 40 tand intermixed with 40 texts + true/false questioexts + true/false questionsns

The Measurement and Scoring The Measurement and Scoring RegionsRegions

First pass reading time: first left to right First pass reading time: first left to right fixation on the character + right-to-left fixation on the character + right-to-left movement within the charactermovement within the character

Second pass reading time: regressions and Second pass reading time: regressions and rereading of the sentencesrereading of the sentences

Latin square design Latin square design Significance level .05Significance level .05

The ResultThe Result

Discussion IDiscussion I

Reduced relative clause > unreduced Reduced relative clause > unreduced counterpartcounterpart

Animate reduced = inanimate reducedAnimate reduced = inanimate reduced Inanimate reduced: longer in c-1 than that in Inanimate reduced: longer in c-1 than that in

animate counterpartanimate counterpart Reflect MA strategy in spite of thematic Reflect MA strategy in spite of thematic

informationinformation In support of modular syntactic processingIn support of modular syntactic processing

Experiment II-Contextual Experiment II-Contextual InformationInformation

2a. The editor played the tape / and agreed the 2a. The editor played the tape / and agreed the story was big. (Minimal Attachment)story was big. (Minimal Attachment)

2b. The editor played the tape / agreed the stor2b. The editor played the tape / agreed the story was big. (Nonminimal Attachment)y was big. (Nonminimal Attachment)

3a. Sam loaded the boxes on the cart / before h3a. Sam loaded the boxes on the cart / before his coffee break. (Minimal Attachment)is coffee break. (Minimal Attachment)

3b. Sam loaded the boxes on the cart / onto the 3b. Sam loaded the boxes on the cart / onto the van (Nonminimal Attachment)van (Nonminimal Attachment)

The MaterialThe Material

The PredictionThe Prediction

The modular viewThe modular view Initially syntactic processing—MA strategyInitially syntactic processing—MA strategy NMA-NMA = N-NMA > MA-MA = N-MANMA-NMA = N-NMA > MA-MA = N-MA The interactive viewThe interactive view Contextual information aids syntactic Contextual information aids syntactic

processingprocessing NMA-NMA < N-NMA; MA-MA < N-MANMA-NMA < N-NMA; MA-MA < N-MA N-NMA > N-MAN-NMA > N-MA

Design and MaterialsDesign and Materials

First pass reading time per First pass reading time per charactercharacter

Second pass reading time per Second pass reading time per charactercharacter

Percentage CorrectPercentage Correct

Result for Exp III—a replication of Result for Exp III—a replication of Exp II Self-paced Reading ParadigmExp II Self-paced Reading Paradigm

Alternative ExplanationAlternative Explanation

1. Prof. Garnsey’s paper1. Prof. Garnsey’s paper 2. The individual difference on working memo2. The individual difference on working memo

ry (Just & Carpenter)ry (Just & Carpenter)