Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 23, 2026

Using the Visual World Paradigm to Study Sentence Comprehension in Mandarin-Speaking Children with Autism
Published on: October 3, 2018
A Review on the Cognitive Neural Mechanisms of Anaphor Processing During Language Comprehension
Qian Zhang1, Ruo-Han Chang2, Zhen-Dong Wang3
1Naval Medical Center, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China.
Anaphora processing involves linking words to their antecedents in two stages: bonding and resolution. Neuroimaging studies reveal brain networks and Theory of Mind are involved in understanding these cohesive language elements.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Psycholinguistics
- Computational Linguistics
Background:
- Anaphora is crucial for textual coherence, involving word/phrase replacement in discourse.
- Anaphor processing has two key stages: bonding (linking anaphora to antecedents) and resolution (evaluating and integrating these links).
Purpose of the Study:
- To review event-related potential (ERP) and neural oscillation studies on anaphor processing.
- To explore the temporal dynamics and neural underpinnings of anaphor comprehension.
- To identify brain networks and cognitive functions involved in resolving anaphora.
Main Methods:
- Review of event-related potential (ERP) studies examining the time course of anaphor processing.
- Analysis of neural oscillation studies (alpha, theta, gamma bands) related to attention, working memory, and integration.
- Synthesis of findings from existing neuroimaging studies.
Main Results:
- Event-related potential studies reveal the temporal dynamics of anaphor processing.
- Neural oscillation studies link alpha, theta, and gamma bands to attention, working memory, and integration during anaphora resolution.
- Neuroimaging data indicate the involvement of language networks and Theory of Mind (ToM) in anaphor processing.
Conclusions:
- Anaphor processing relies on distinct bonding and resolution stages with specific neural correlates.
- Language networks and Theory of Mind are integral to understanding anaphoric references.
- Future research should investigate neural correlates and influencing factors for a comprehensive understanding of anaphor processing.
More Related Videos
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
08:32Examining Online Syntactic Processing of Spoken Complex Sentences in Chinese Using Dual-Modal Interference Tasks
Published on: September 5, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language
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...
Language
Corballis and Suddendorf (2007) and Tomasello and Rakoczy (2003) highlight the role of language in...
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 and Cognition
Automatic Processing and Automatic Social Behavior