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Exploring sensory qualia relations and implicit syntactic structure in a semantic Odd-Word-Out task for Brazilian Portuguese: a normative study
Poster Session B, Friday, September 12, 4:30 - 6:00 pm, Field House
Marije Soto1, Aniela Improta França1, Analia L. Arévalo2, Juliana Novo Gomes3, Giovanna Oliveira Santos2, Márcia Nunes2, Patrícia Silva de Camargo2, Telma Pantano2, Guilherme Lepski2,4; 1Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Brazil, 2University of São Paulo, Brazil, 3University of Minho, Braga, Portugal, 4Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen, Germany
The odd word out task is designed to visualize and test the integrity of verbal semantic processing, and is often included in language batteries. There is a significant lack of standardized stimuli in Brazil, which, although of continental proportions, maintains relative linguistic homogeneity. Moreover, linguistic differences between Brazilian and European Portuguese (BP vs. EP) make relying on generalized datasets developed for EP or direct translation undesirable. Deficits in semantic processing can result from brain lesions and during awake brain surgery when direct cortical stimulation is applied to several cortical and subcortical regions and pathways (e.g., Duffau et al., 2005; Richardson et al., 2011; De Witte et al., 2015). Furthermore, lesions in different areas have been associated with trouble recognizing thematic relations between words (e.g. apple-worm) versus taxonomic relations (e.g. pear-apple) (Schwarz et al., 2011; Mirman & Graziano, 2012). In this study conducted in BP, we examined how two types of sensory-semantic relations as proposed within the qualia framework (Pustejovky, 1995), as well as implicit syntactic relations, mediate cognitive processes involved in the context of the odd word out task. Our first hypothesis was that these relations would be indeed seen as highly related, and our second hypothesis was that word position would influence the incremental manner in which semantic relatedness is constructed, such that memory and semantic (re)analysis would be burdened relatively more when target words are in first (but even more so in second) position, and especially so in the implicit syntactic condition, which is subject to the directionality of the linguistic structure of the language being tested. Healthy participants (n=210) performed the odd word out task on an online platform (PCIBEX). Stimuli were three-word sequences with one unrelated target word, related by (i) constitutive qualia: in “lençol fronha prato” (sheet pillowcase plate), both sheet and pillowcase are made out of cloth-like materials distinct from the plate; (ii) telic qualia: in “xícara caneca prato” (tea-cup mug plate), both tea-cup and mug are for drinking, distinct from the plate; and (iii) implicit syntactic relations, as in “bolso calça prato” (pocket pants plate), where the relation between “bolso” and “calça” can be established by the phrasal structure “bolso de calça”. Accuracy was equally high (mean 94.6%) across semantic relation types (Accuracy~relation_type: X2(2)=4.98, p>0.05) and reaction times were fastest for syntactic, followed by constitutive and then telic relations (RTs~relation_type: X2(2)=15.33, p<0.001). Thus, semantic processing seems to be facilitated by syntactically mediated relations. Target word position also affected performance: odd words in the third position were identified more quickly and accurately than those in first or second positions (RTs~relation_type + target_position: X2(4)=137.37, p<0.001). For syntactic relations, only 3rd position seemed to yield faster RTs, but interaction between factors was not significant. These data provide a much-needed baseline for different populations of BP speakers. Moreover, they highlight the importance of considering semantic relation types and word position when designing language assessment tools.
Topic Areas: Syntax and Combinatorial Semantics, Disorders: Acquired