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Rethinking the classic sentence-picture matching task as a measure of complex syntax comprehension in aphasia
Poster Session C, Saturday, September 13, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Field House
This poster is part of the Sandbox Series.
Jeremy Yeaton1, Shazfa Khatri1, Kelly Hung1, Gregory Hickok1; 1University of California, Irvine
Investigating the specific effects of syntactic complexity in sentence processing research remains challenging due to confounds in various linguistic and cognitive factors, such as working memory and semantic surprisal. Traditional methods for assessing complex sentence comprehension, especially in clinical populations, often employ syntactically complex sentences with contrived structures that are rarely used in natural language, making it difficult to isolate syntactic processing from other cognitive demands brought on by these stimuli. To address this issue, we have developed a novel experimental approach aimed at more accurately isolating syntactic processing by minimizing extraneous cognitive demands during sentence comprehension. Our study utilizes a sentence-picture matching task, employing the same sentence stimuli as Wilson et al. (2010). The key innovation in our design is the introduction of various prime conditions that precede the target sentences, intended to facilitate the processing of syntactically complex structures like object-extracted relative clauses as in (1). (1) The boy who the girl is hugging is green. In our experimental paradigm, participants are presented with one of five conditions before encountering the target sentence: (i) the main verb of the sentence, (ii) the subject of the relative clause, (iii) a semantically related but non-licensing context sentence, (iv) a semantically-related licensing sentence as context, or (v) no prime. For example, for the target sentence in (1), the primes would be: (i) hug, (ii) girl, (iii) hugging can bring comfort, (iv) two boys and a girl are crying. Following the prime (or lack thereof), participants are tasked with matching the target sentence to one of two pictures displayed on the screen. Distractor pictures have either role foils (agent and patient roles reversed), or color foils (agent and patient roles retained, different colors in image). We hypothesize that all prime conditions will facilitate processing of syntactically complex sentences, as measured by higher accuracy and faster response times (RTs), relative to the sentence presented in isolation. Furthermore, we predict that the licensing sentence condition will yield the most significant improvements in both accuracy and RT due to its provision of semantically and pragmatically relevant information. The potential implications of this research are far-reaching. By more effectively isolating syntactic processing, our findings may challenge existing theories of sentence processing, particularly for syntactically complex sentences. This is especially relevant for clinical populations with reduced working memory or cognitive resources, where the ability to differentiate between syntactic complexity effects and other cognitive demands is crucial for accurate assessment and intervention. Our innovative approach not only contributes to a more nuanced understanding of language processing but also offers a methodological advancement in psycholinguistic research. By minimizing confounding factors and providing a more ecologically valid context for syntactic processing, this study paves the way for more precise investigations of language comprehension across various populations and linguistic structures. Data collection is underway and we expect to be able to present pilot data from both healthy young adults and stroke survivors at SNL.
Topic Areas: Syntax and Combinatorial Semantics, Disorders: Acquired