Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 1, 2026

Examining Online Syntactic Processing of Spoken Complex Sentences in Chinese Using Dual-Modal Interference Tasks
Published on: September 5, 2019
Cognitive control during sentence generation
Malathi Thothathiri1, Michelle Rattinger1, Bhairvi Trivedi1
1a Department of Speech and Hearing Science , The George Washington University , Washington , DC , USA.
Abstract:
Sentence generation involves selecting the right words out of multiple co-activated representations for the right utterance positions. This selection process is hypothesized to involve cognitive control. Previous research has linked cognitive control during language processing to regions within the frontal lobe, including the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC). We examined the neural correlates of word and sentence generation to determine whether these cognitive control regions were activated more for sentences than words. We also manipulated the phonological overlap between nouns in the sentence to determine whether cognitive control recruitment increased under phonological competition. Whole-brain analysis revealed increased activation in the ACC and bilateral frontal cortex for sentences over words. Region of interest analysis revealed an effect of phonological competition within the ACC. Psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analysis further showed that functional connectivity within a task-maintenance network increased under phonological competition. These results suggest a role for conflict detection and monitoring during sentence generation, which is consistent with a theoretical framework incorporating domain-general cognitive control processes into language processing.
More Related Videos
11:47Modulating Cognition Using Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation of the Cerebellum
Published on: February 15, 2015
05:22Dissociation of the Confounding Influences of Expectancy and Integrative Difficulty Residing in Anomalous Sentences in Event-related Potential Studies
Published on: May 9, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Language and Cognition
Cognitivism
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...
Metacognition
Causes of Social Behavior II: Cognitive Processes
Introduction to Cognitive Psychology
This field emerged in the mid-20th century, following a period dominated by behaviorism, which...
Cognitive Learning
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...