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From pre-activation to pre-updating: A threshold mechanism for commitment to strong predictions
Tal Ness1, Aya Meltzer-Asscher1,2
1Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Psychophysiology
|March 8, 2021
Summary
Sentence processing involves predicting upcoming words. This study shows predictions are pre-updated into working memory based on an activation threshold, especially in high-constraint sentences.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Psycholinguistics
Background:
- Sentence processing relies on comprehenders pre-activating lexical/semantic knowledge.
- A stronger form of prediction, 'pre-updating,' integrates predicted content into working memory during sentence construction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate an activation threshold mechanism for pre-updating during sentence processing.
- To explore how predictions are initiated and integrated into working memory representations.
Main Methods:
- Combined a speeded cloze task with event-related potentials (ERPs).
- Analyzed electrophysiological data reflecting predictions before explicit completion prompts.
- Correlated ERP data with cloze responses to identify strongest predictions.
Main Results:
- Observed a P600 effect indicative of pre-updating in high-constraint sentences.
- This effect occurred even when participants predicted low cloze words.
- Results suggest multiple predictions compete and 'race' to a retrieval threshold.
Conclusions:
- Supports an activation threshold mechanism for initiating pre-updating.
- Pre-updating occurs when a prediction's activation surpasses the retrieval threshold before word realization.
- Sentence processing involves dynamic prediction and integration within working memory.
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