Syntactic Adaptation to Relative Clause Sentence Processing: Contributions of Experience and Memory

Date
2017
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Producer
Director
Performer
Choreographer
Costume Designer
Music
Videographer
Lighting Designer
Set Designer
Crew Member
Funder
Rehearsal Director
Concert Coordinator
Moderator
Panelist
Alternative Title
Department
Swarthmore College. Dept. of Educational Studies
Type
Thesis (B.A.)
Original Format
Running Time
File Format
Place of Publication
Date Span
Copyright Date
Award
Language
en
Note
Table of Contents
Terms of Use
Full copyright to this work is retained by the student author. It may only be used for non-commercial, research, and educational purposes. All other uses are restricted.
Rights Holder
Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
Terms of Use
Tripod URL
Identifier
Abstract
One of the most robust findings in psycho linguistics is that object-extracted relative clauses (ORCs) are more difficult to process than subject-extracted relative clauses (SRCs) (Traxler, Morris, & Seely, 2002; King & Just, 1991; Ford, 1983). However, the reasons for this are still controversial. One view attributes this difficulty to experience: ORCs are harder to process because they are more rarely encountered than SRCs (Wells, Christiansen, Race, Acheson, & MacDonald, 2008; Gennari & MacDonald, 2008; MacDonald & Christiansen, 2002). Another view is that the word order of ORCs places a larger burden on working memory than SRCs (Miller & Chomsky, 1963; Grodner & Gibson, 2005; Lewis & Vasishth, 2005). These models predict different loci of processing difficulty along an ORC sentence. Experience-based models predict difficulty at the beginning of the ORC, where the structure can be identified as rare. Memory-based models predict difficulty at the embedded verb, where a long distance dependency must be resolved. There is evidence indicating difficulty in both regions (Staub, 2010). Wells et aI., (2009) conducted a relative clause training study, which found that intensive experience with ORCs reduced (but did not eliminate) processing differences. However, the study did not pinpoint the locus of these training effects. The present study aimed to replicate Wells et aI., (2009), focusing on the locus of any training effects. On a memory-based account, training should have selectively facilitated processing exclusively at the subject region of the ORC. If instead ORC complexity is primarily a function of experience, then training should have facilitated processing over the entire ORC. Training only facilitated processing over the subject of the ORC. In contrast, difficulty at the embedded verb actually increased with training. Though methodological issues discourage definitive conclusions, the results suggest that the role of experience is limited and intrinsic memory constraints underlie ORC complexity. Keywords: Sentence processing, relative clauses, statistical learning, working memory, syntax
Description
Subjects
Citation