Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2026
09:27
Using Eye Movements Recorded in the Visual World Paradigm to Explore the Online Processing of Spoken Language
Published on: October 13, 2018
Prosodic form and parsing commitments
1School of Educational Studies, University of Dundee, Scotland.
Journal of Psycholinguistic Research
|March 1, 1996
Summary
Prosody does not affect syntactic parsing of ambiguous sentences. Experiments showed no influence of prosodic form on how listeners process sentence structure, despite sensitivity to other factors.
Area of Science:
- Psycholinguistics
- Computational Linguistics
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Syntactic ambiguity resolution is crucial for language comprehension.
- Prosody (intonation, rhythm) is hypothesized to aid parsing.
- Previous research suggests auditory parsing differs from visual parsing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of prosody on syntactic parsing of temporarily ambiguous sentences.
- To compare cross-modal lexical decision and naming tasks in revealing prosodic effects.
- To examine potential differences between auditory and visual parsing processes.
Main Methods:
- Five experiments using cross-modal response tasks.
- Auditory sentence fragments with varying prosodic forms.
- Visual target words assessed for appropriateness and lexical decision/naming.
- Simultaneous appropriateness judgment task in some experiments.
Main Results:
- Cross-modal lexical decision showed sensitivity to syntactic and appropriateness manipulations.
- Cross-modal naming showed limited sensitivity, only with an appropriateness judgment task.
- No experiment demonstrated a significant effect of prosodic form on syntactic parsing.
Conclusions:
- Prosodic form does not appear to influence syntactic parsing of complement verb sentences.
- Auditory and visual parsing may involve different mechanisms.
- Findings support a constituent-based, minimal commitment auditory parser model.
More Related Videos
08:32Examining Online Syntactic Processing of Spoken Complex Sentences in Chinese Using Dual-Modal Interference Tasks
Published on: September 5, 2019
09:09Foreign Accent and Forensic Speaker Identification in Voice Lineups: The Influence of Acoustic Features Based on Prosody
Published on: September 27, 2024
Related Concept Videos
03:26Framing Effects
Information is everywhere and its presentation—such as how and when items are presented—can impact our perceptions and decisions surrounding the info. This broad concept umbrellas framing effects—influences that occur due to the way information is framed in its appearance, whether it’s purely the order or the specific wording of a message. Let’s take a look at numerous ways in which two versions of something can objectively say the same thing, yet we respond in different ways based on the...
01:52Persuasion Strategies
Researchers have tested many persuasion strategies, including the foot-in-the door and the door-in-the-face techniques, in a variety of contexts. Ultimately, the principles are effective in selling products and changing people’s attitude, ideas, and behaviors (Cialdini & Goldstein, 2004).
00:49Complementation Tests
A complementation test is a simple cross to identify whether the two mutations are located on the same gene or different genes. It was first performed by Edward Lewis in the 1940s while working on fruit flies. He developed the test to identify the location and arrangement of different mutations on chromosomes.
Organisms heterozygous for different mutations are crossed pairwise in all combinations. If present on different genes, the mutations can complement each other by providing the missing...
Organisms heterozygous for different mutations are crossed pairwise in all combinations. If present on different genes, the mutations can complement each other by providing the missing...
01:18Parseval's Theorem
Parseval's theorem is a fundamental concept in signal processing and harmonic analysis. It asserts that for a periodic function, the average power of the signal over one period equals the sum of the squared magnitudes of all its complex Fourier coefficients. This theorem, named after Marc-Antoine Parseval, provides a powerful tool for analyzing the energy distribution in signals.
Interestingly, Parseval's theorem also holds for the trigonometric form of the Fourier series, which expresses a...
Interestingly, Parseval's theorem also holds for the trigonometric form of the Fourier series, which expresses a...
01:15Parseval's Theorem for Fourier transform
Parseval's theorem is a fundamental principle in signal processing that enables the calculation of a signal's energy in either the time domain or the frequency domain. This theorem is pivotal in demonstrating energy conservation between these two domains, ensuring that the computed energy value remains consistent regardless of the domain of analysis.
To understand Parseval's theorem, it is essential to first comprehend how signal energy is typically calculated. When considering a signal's...
To understand Parseval's theorem, it is essential to first comprehend how signal energy is typically calculated. When considering a signal's...
01:24Components of Language
Language, whether spoken, signed, or written, consists of specific components: lexicon and grammar. The lexicon is the vocabulary of a language, comprising its words. Grammar is the set of rules used to convey meaning through the lexicon. For example, English grammar adds “-ed” to most verbs to indicate past tense. Words are formed by combining phonemes, which are the basic sound units of a language. Different languages have different sets of phonemes (e.g., “ah” vs. “eh”). Phonemes combine to...