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Memory interference during language processing
P C Gordon1, R Hendrick, M Johnson
1Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 27599-3270, USA. pcg@email.unc.edu
Journal of Experimental Psychology. Learning, Memory, and Cognition
|November 21, 2001
Summary
Working memory in language comprehension is affected by sentence complexity. Similar noun phrase types in complex sentences increase interference, impacting reading performance and comprehension accuracy.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Psycholinguistics
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Working memory is crucial for understanding complex sentences.
- Sentence complexity can arise from embedded clauses and noun phrase (NP) types.
- Previous research indicates object-extracted clauses are harder to comprehend than subject-extracted ones.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of working memory in language comprehension.
- To examine how sentence complexity, specifically clause type and NP type, affects reading time and comprehension accuracy.
- To explore the influence of NP similarity on performance differences.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a self-paced reading task with college students.
- Manipulated sentence structures, varying embedded clause types (object-extracted vs. subject-extracted) and NP types (descriptions, indexical pronouns, names).
- Measured reading time and comprehension accuracy as dependent variables.
Main Results:
- Confirmed poorer comprehension for object-extracted compared to subject-extracted sentences.
- Demonstrated that this performance difference is strongly influenced by the types of NPs present.
- Found that sentences with two NPs of the same type showed a larger performance gap than those with NPs of different types.
Conclusions:
- Working memory's operation in language comprehension is sensitive to sentence structure and NP characteristics.
- Similarity-based interference among NPs plays a significant role in sentence complexity effects.
- These findings contribute to models of working memory, highlighting interference as a key factor in processing complex linguistic input.
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