Incremental generation of answers during the comprehension of questions with quantifiers

Bott, Oliver J.; Augurzky, Petra; Sternefeld, Wolfgang; Ulrich, Rolf

doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2017.05.023

Cited by 9 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 29 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Whereas literally true sentences elicited the most reduced N400, literally false sentences elicited the largest effect, with effects of the mixed context A in between these extremes, irrespective of semantic or pragmatic strategies. This is as predicted by our pragmatic expectations account (see also Bott, Augurzky, Sternefeld, & Ulrich, ; Spychalska et al, ), but it may be surprising for accounts that expect ERP modulations based on underinformativity alone. In simple contexts B and C, after hearing Some of the dots are… , the assumption that the sentence will be continued by a color adjective that makes the sentence true fixes a strong expectation for blue in context B and red in context C. Moreover, we can explain why the complex context A should result in an intermediate effect.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

Gricean Expectations in Online Sentence Comprehension: An ERP Study on the Processing of Scalar Inferences

2019

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

There is substantial support for the general idea that a formalization of comprehenders' expectations about the likely next word in a sentence helps explaining data related to online sentence processing. While much research has focused on syntactic, semantic, and discourse expectations, the present event‐related potentials (ERPs) study investigates neurolinguistic correlates of pragmatic expectations, which arise when comprehenders expect a sentence to conform to Gricean Maxims of Conversation. For predicting brain responses associated with pragmatic processing, we introduce a formal model of such Gricean pragmatic expectations, using an idealized incremental interpreter. We examine whether pragmatic expectancies derived from this model modulate the amplitude of the N400, a component that has been associated with predictive processing. As part of its parameterization, the model distinguishes genuine pragmatic interpreters, who expect maximally informative true utterances, from literal interpreters, who only expect truthfulness. We explore the model's non‐trivial predictions for an experimental setup which uses picture‐sentence verification with ERPs recorded at several critical positions in sentences containing the scalar implicature trigger some. We find that Gricean expectations indeed affect the N400, largely in line with the predictions of our model, but also discuss discrepancies between model predictions and observations critically.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

Gricean Expectations in Online Sentence Comprehension: An ERP Study on the Processing of Scalar Inferences

2019

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…According to such a prediction-based account, the amplitude of the N400 varies as a function of predictability: The more predictable the activity in the sentence is given the contextual information, the greater is the reduction of the N400 amplitude. Related to the current study, the observed N400 pattern from infinitive onset would thus be expected under a predictive model that assumes that listeners take into account the possible sentence continuations that could principally lead to a true and informative description of the scenario illustrated on the picture (Augurzky et al, 2019(Augurzky et al, , 2020; see also Bott et al, 2017). Under such an assumption of true sentence continuations, the lexical item schwimmen ("swim") would be highly predictable when following context B_simple true but unpredicted when following context C, where the lexical item wandern ("hike") would be predicted instead.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 58%

Context and Complexity in Incremental Sentence Interpretation: An ERP Study on Temporal Quantification

2020

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The present event‐related potential (ERP) study used picture–sentence verification to investigate the neurolinguistic correlates of the online processing of compositional‐semantic information. To this end, we examined context effects on sentences involving temporal adverbial quantification likeJana war jeden Morgen schwimmen an den Arbeitstagen (“Jana went for a swim every morning during the working week”). We tested whether the conceptual complexity associated with quantifying over time intervals leads to delayed predictions regarding the upcoming words in a sentence. The present study replicated previous results relating to quantification over individuals, which are conceptually less complex than time intervals. Analogous to previous studies, false vs. true sentences elicited an N400 whenever contextual cues did not permit a potential revision of a locally assigned truth value. The present results are compatible with an approach under which contextual cues are immediately considered for predicting how a sentence continues. The fact that the contextual complexity did not lead to processing delays indicates that the processing system quickly abstracts away from the conceptual complexity associated with the linguistic input if such an abstraction is possible.

show abstract

“…A modified S. Jurard questionnaire was used to measure the dynamics of self-disclosure indicators. Research in in experimental psycholinguistics is diverse [13,14,16,17,19,20,21,24,25,26]. Some foreign researchers only indirectly touch upon the problems of this article.…”

Section: Analysis Of Publicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psycholinguistic Determinants of Meaning Formation in Students with Different Levels of Self-Disclosure

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The authors consider a meaning essay as a semantic technique, not only as convenient for any learning format (distance, full-time, mixed), but also as effective, capable of initiating the formation of students' meaning and launching a mechanism for comprehending the subject content at a deep, internal level. The formulation of an essay during the lesson at any of its stages, as well as as homework, is, according to the authors, a kind of «meaning task.» Delivered by the teacher or formulated by the students themselves at any level of learning, it is capable of activating the semantic sphere, launching the mechanism of «interest», comprehension. The authors conducted an empirical study using interdisciplinary methods of pedagogy and psychology: S. Jurard's self-disclosure questionnaire (modified version), psycholinguistic analysis of essays, content analysis of essay texts, statistical analysis - Student's t-test. technologies for the development of the semantic sphere of adolescents. The sample consisted of adolescents 12-15 years old (girls and boys) of secondary schools in Rostov-on-Don and the Moscow region. The novelty of this research lies in the use of the method of psycholinguistic analysis of meaning essays to assess the semantic sphere of adolescents.

show abstract

Incremental generation of answers during the comprehension of questions with quantifiers

Cited by 9 publications

References 29 publications

Gricean Expectations in Online Sentence Comprehension: An ERP Study on the Processing of Scalar Inferences

Gricean Expectations in Online Sentence Comprehension: An ERP Study on the Processing of Scalar Inferences

Context and Complexity in Incremental Sentence Interpretation: An ERP Study on Temporal Quantification

Psycholinguistic Determinants of Meaning Formation in Students with Different Levels of Self-Disclosure

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About