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Updated: Aug 15, 2026
08:56
Working with Auditory HEI-OC1 Cells
Published on: September 3, 2016
Hearing singular "they" primes both "they" and "he/she"
Gabrielle Wells Garner1, Jennifer E Arnold2
1Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina, Campus Box 3270, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
|August 13, 2026
Summary
Hearing singular they increases fluency in its use through a priming mechanism. This study demonstrates improved rate and accuracy in using singular they (they/them) pronouns for both students and adults.
Area of Science:
- Psycholinguistics
- Cognitive Psychology
- Sociolinguistics
Background:
- The English language is evolving to include singular 'they' (they/them) pronouns.
- Understanding the cognitive mechanisms behind this linguistic shift is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cognitive mechanism of priming in the use of singular 'they'.
- To determine if exposure to singular 'they' enhances fluency and accuracy.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted with college students and a community sample (adults aged 30-70).
- Participants were exposed to singular 'they' to assess priming effects on pronoun usage rate and accuracy.
Main Results:
- Hearing singular 'they' significantly increased the rate and accuracy of its use.
- Priming activated representations for both singular 'they' and other third-person pronouns (he/she).
- A specific priming effect on singular 'they' was observed, reducing errors.
Conclusions:
- Auditory exposure to singular 'they' enhances cognitive fluency and accuracy in its usage.
- Priming effects suggest activation of both general third-person pronoun categories and specific singular 'they' representations.
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