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How Children Process Reduced Forms: A Computational Cognitive Modeling Approach to Pronoun Processing in Discourse
Margreet Vogelzang1,2, Maria Teresa Guasti3, Hedderik van Rijn4
1Institute of Dutch Studies, University of Oldenburg.
Cognitive Science
|April 20, 2021
Summary
Children
Area of Science:
- Linguistics
- Developmental Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Pronoun interpretation relies on contextual cues.
- A trade-off exists between pronoun informativity and referent prominence.
- Italian adults use null pronouns for prominent referents and overt pronouns for less prominent ones.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate how Italian-speaking children acquire the pragmatic distinction between null and overt subject pronouns.
- Determine the role of cognitive development in pronoun interpretation patterns.
- Model the acquisition of pronoun interpretation using computational simulations.
Main Methods:
- Experimental studies with Italian-speaking children and adults.
- Computational simulations based on bounded-rational behavior.
- Analysis of working memory capacity and processing speed.
Main Results:
- Cognitive development explains interpretation patterns in both children and adults.
- Null pronoun interpretation is linked to working memory capacity.
- Overt pronoun interpretation is associated with processing speed.
Conclusions:
- Cognitive capacities like working memory and processing speed significantly influence pronoun acquisition.
- These findings offer insights into how cognitive constraints shape linguistic development.
- Computational models can predict novel aspects of pronoun interpretation.
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