Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 30, 2026
08:32
Examining Online Syntactic Processing of Spoken Complex Sentences in Chinese Using Dual-Modal Interference Tasks
Published on: September 5, 2019
To bind or not to bind: Individual differences in pronominal processing among adolescent Mandarin-English heritage
Jiuzhou Hao1,2,3, Vincent DeLuca2, Jason Rothman2,3,4
1School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, https://ror.org/01nrxwf90The University of Edinburgh, UK.
Journal of Child Language
|June 29, 2026
Summary
This study shows how heritage language speakers process Mandarin pronouns. Cognitive skills and language exposure affect pronoun interpretation differently, revealing unique processing patterns.
Area of Science:
- Psycholinguistics
- Cognitive Science
- Linguistics
Background:
- Heritage language speakers (HSs) exhibit varied linguistic processing abilities.
- Understanding pronoun resolution in HSs is crucial for language acquisition research.
- Mandarin pronouns like 'ta', 'ziji', and 'taziji' present distinct processing demands.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate real-time Mandarin pronoun processing in late adolescent HSs.
- To examine the influence of cognitive factors (working memory, inhibition) and language exposure on pronoun interpretation.
- To identify how different pronoun types engage distinct processing mechanisms.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a web-based visual world eye-tracking paradigm.
- Tested interpretation of pronominals ('ta'), simplex reflexives ('ziji'), and complex reflexives ('taziji').
- Correlated eye-tracking data with individual cognitive assessments and heritage language exposure levels.
Main Results:
- 'Taziji' showed local interpretation; 'ziji' and 'ta' favored long-distance (LD) antecedents.
- Working memory and inhibition modulated 'ziji' and 'ta' processing.
- Heritage language exposure specifically influenced 'taziji' processing.
Conclusions:
- Domain-general cognitive resources support LD and interface-level pronoun resolution.
- Narrow syntactic processing is sensitive to language exposure variations.
- Structural asymmetries exist in how cognitive and experiential factors impact HS pronoun resolution.
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