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The realization of scalar inferences: context sensitivity without processing cost.
Stephen Politzer-Ahles1, Robert Fiorentino
1Department of Linguistics, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, United States of America. sjpa@ku.edu
Plos One
|May 23, 2013
Summary
Scalar inference, where "some" implies "not all," is context-dependent but doesn't appear to require extra processing effort. This challenges existing theories on how language meaning is understood.
Area of Science:
- Psycholinguistics
- Cognitive Science
- Semantics
Background:
- Scalar inference is the pragmatic enrichment of a scalar term (e.g., 'some') to its stronger, more informative meaning (e.g., 'not all').
- Two main accounts exist: default processing (automatic inference) and context-driven processing (effortful, context-dependent inference).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether scalar inference realization is influenced by contextual bias.
- To examine the processing costs associated with scalar inference using self-paced reading times.
Main Methods:
- Participants read vignettes designed to either bias or not bias scalar inference.
- Self-paced reading times were measured to assess processing effort.
Main Results:
- Reading times indicated that contextual bias influences scalar inference realization.
- No significant processing cost was detected at the point of inference realization, contradicting context-driven models.
Conclusions:
- Scalar inference is context-influenced, but the lack of observed processing cost challenges theories predicting effortful, context-specific realization.
- The findings necessitate a re-evaluation of why and how scalar inferences occur in specific contexts without apparent cognitive load.
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