Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Language and Cognition01:27

Language and Cognition

986
Language serves as a bridge between ideas and communication, influencing how individuals perceive and interact with the world. Psychologists have long debated whether language shapes thought or vice versa. This discussion gained grip with Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf in the 1940s, who proposed that language determines thought, a concept known as linguistic determinism. They suggested that the vocabulary and structure of a language influence how its speakers think and perceive reality.
986
Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language01:10

Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language

4.2K
Language is a system of communication that allows the expression of thoughts, ideas, and feelings. The brain processes language in both hemispheres.
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...
4.2K
Lateralization01:28

Lateralization

1.3K
Brain lateralization refers to the division of mental processes and functions between the two hemispheres of the brain, a phenomenon that optimizes neural efficiency and underpins complex abilities in humans. This specialization allows each hemisphere to perform tasks where it has a comparative advantage, facilitating more refined cognitive capabilities across different domains.
1.3K
Automatic Processing and Automatic Social Behavior01:28

Automatic Processing and Automatic Social Behavior

359
Automatic processing refers to the cognitive operations that occur without conscious intent or awareness, playing a fundamental role in shaping social cognition and behavior. These processes enable individuals to navigate complex social environments efficiently by relying on mental shortcuts and pre-existing knowledge structures known as schemas. One of the most influential mechanisms underlying automatic processing is priming, which subtly activates mental representations through exposure to...
359
Cognitivism01:17

Cognitivism

3.4K
Cognitive psychology emerged as a significant field in the mid-20th century. It focused on understanding humans' internal mental processes. This approach emphasizes how people perceive, remember, think, and solve problems—elements critical to human cognition.
Previously dominated by behaviorism, which prioritized observable behaviors and largely ignored mental processes, psychology transformed in the 1950s. Cognitive psychologists argue that understanding how we think and process...
3.4K
The Influence of Cognition on Affect01:29

The Influence of Cognition on Affect

307
Cognition plays a pivotal role in shaping emotional experiences, as demonstrated by Schachter and Singer’s two-factor theory of emotion. According to this model, emotion arises from a combination of physiological arousal and cognitive interpretation. The body’s physiological response to stimuli is ambiguous and only gains emotional significance through cognitive labeling. For instance, an increased heart rate and adrenaline surge while standing near an attractive person may be...
307

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same authorSame journal

EXPRESS: Age-related Differences in Recognition Memory for Discourse: The Case of Modified Words, Competitors, and Related Lures.

Quarterly journal of experimental psychology (2006)·2026
Same author

Retraction Note: The effectiveness of routine physiotherapy with and without neuromobilization on pain and functional disability in patients with shoulder impingement syndrome; a randomized control clinical trial.

BMC musculoskeletal disorders·2026
Same author

Syntactic and Prosodic Phrasal Alignment in Naturalistic Language.

Cognitive science·2026
Same author

Entropy's Dilemma: Facilitatory and Inhibitory Effects of Information Entropy During Language Processing.

Cognitive science·2026
Same author

Onset of millennial climate variability with the intensification of Northern Hemisphere glaciation.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2026
Same author

Restoring hand grasping for patients with a complete tetraplegia with selective epineural stimulation: a parsimonious thus relevant clinical approach.

Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 8, 2026

Using Eye Movements Recorded in the Visual World Paradigm to Explore the Online Processing of Spoken Language
09:27

Using Eye Movements Recorded in the Visual World Paradigm to Explore the Online Processing of Spoken Language

Published on: October 13, 2018

10.9K

Good-enough linguistic representations and online cognitive equilibrium in language processing.

Hossein Karimi1, Fernanda Ferreira1

  • 1a Department of Psychology , University of California at Davis , Davis , CA , USA.

Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology (2006)
|June 24, 2015
PubMed
Summary

The brain forms "good enough" language representations by seeking early and sustained cognitive equilibrium. This process integrates new information with existing knowledge, minimizing uncertainty for efficient language comprehension.

Keywords:
HeuristicsLanguage processingOnline cognitive equilibriumUnderspecification

More Related Videos

Examining Online Syntactic Processing of Spoken Complex Sentences in Chinese Using Dual-Modal Interference Tasks
08:32

Examining Online Syntactic Processing of Spoken Complex Sentences in Chinese Using Dual-Modal Interference Tasks

Published on: September 5, 2019

6.0K
Eye Tracking During Visually Situated Language Comprehension: Flexibility and Limitations in Uncovering Visual Context Effects
07:36

Eye Tracking During Visually Situated Language Comprehension: Flexibility and Limitations in Uncovering Visual Context Effects

Published on: November 30, 2018

16.6K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 8, 2026

Using Eye Movements Recorded in the Visual World Paradigm to Explore the Online Processing of Spoken Language
09:27

Using Eye Movements Recorded in the Visual World Paradigm to Explore the Online Processing of Spoken Language

Published on: October 13, 2018

10.9K
Examining Online Syntactic Processing of Spoken Complex Sentences in Chinese Using Dual-Modal Interference Tasks
08:32

Examining Online Syntactic Processing of Spoken Complex Sentences in Chinese Using Dual-Modal Interference Tasks

Published on: September 5, 2019

6.0K
Eye Tracking During Visually Situated Language Comprehension: Flexibility and Limitations in Uncovering Visual Context Effects
07:36

Eye Tracking During Visually Situated Language Comprehension: Flexibility and Limitations in Uncovering Visual Context Effects

Published on: November 30, 2018

16.6K

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Science
  • Psycholinguistics
  • Computational Linguistics

Background:

  • Language processing often results in
  • good enough
  • ,
  • representations, rather than fully detailed ones.
  • Previous research indicates these representations suffice for immediate task demands.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Propose the "online cognitive equilibrium" hypothesis to explain the formation of good-enough representations.
  • Detail how this equilibrium state is achieved through integrating linguistic input with existing knowledge structures (schemata).
  • Reconcile the hypothesis with existing theories of language processing, including heuristic and algorithmic approaches.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of existing research on language processing and representation formation.
  • Theoretical proposal of the "online cognitive equilibrium" hypothesis.
  • Development of a computational model integrating heuristic and algorithmic processing sensitive to equilibrium.

Main Results:

  • The online cognitive equilibrium hypothesis provides a framework for understanding underspecified linguistic representations.
  • The proposed model, incorporating equilibrium sensitivity, explains the formation of incomplete representations.
  • Existing empirical findings on representation underspecification are shown to be compatible with the hypothesis and model.

Conclusions:

  • The language comprehension system prioritizes achieving and maintaining cognitive equilibrium for efficient processing.
  • The online cognitive equilibrium hypothesis offers a unified explanation for good-enough and underspecified representations.
  • The proposed model advances our understanding of the interplay between heuristics, algorithms, and cognitive states in language comprehension.