Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 27, 2025

Examining Online Syntactic Processing of Spoken Complex Sentences in Chinese Using Dual-Modal Interference Tasks
Published on: September 5, 2019
From Network Positions to Language Use: Understanding the Effects of Brokerage and Closure Structures from a
Meng Chen1, Robert A Bell2, George A Barnett2
1Department of Media Communications, Webster Vienna Private University.
Abstract:
We investigated cancer survivors' interactions on an online breast cancer support forum, focusing on how the network structures of brokerage and closure relate to the types of support received and to the language used in posts. Data came through the extraction of 1,443 forum members' online networks. Automated linguistic analysis was carried out on the 27,248 threads these survivors made and the 336,151 replies they received. Survivors' brokerage and closure levels were positively correlated with the use of positive affective words in their posts, a linguistic marker of well-being. Different network positions fostered different types of support in the community. Specifically, people bridging unconnected users (the broker role) were more likely to receive informational support whereas people in closely knit groups (the closure role) were more likely to receive emotional support. Theoretical, methodological, and practical implications are examined.
More Related Videos
09:27Using Eye Movements Recorded in the Visual World Paradigm to Explore the Online Processing of Spoken Language
Published on: October 13, 2018
09:09Foreign Accent and Forensic Speaker Identification in Voice Lineups: The Influence of Acoustic Features Based on Prosody
Published on: September 27, 2024
Related Concept Videos
Language and Cognition
Components of Language
Language Development
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
Language
Corballis and Suddendorf (2007) and Tomasello and Rakoczy (2003) highlight the role of language in...
Structuralism
Titchener's approach to structuralism was unique. He...
Framing Effects