How WM Load Influences Linguistic Processing in Adults: A Computational Model of Pronoun Interpretation in Discourse

Jacolien van Rij*, Hedderik van Rijn, Petra Hendriks

*Corresponding author voor dit werk

OnderzoeksoutputAcademicpeer review

32 Citaten (Scopus)

Samenvatting

This paper presents a study of the effect of working memory load on the interpretation of pronouns in different discourse contexts: stories with and without a topic shift. We discuss a computational model (in ACT-R, Anderson, 2007) to explain how referring expressions are acquired and used. On the basis of simulations of this model, it is predicted that WM constraints only affect adults' pronoun resolution in stories with a topic shift, but not in stories without a topic shift. This latter prediction was tested in an experiment. The results of this experiment confirm that WM load reduces adults' sensitivity to discourse cues signaling a topic shift, thus influencing their interpretation of subsequent pronouns.

Originele taal-2English
Pagina's (van-tot)564-580
Aantal pagina's17
TijdschriftTopics in Cognitive Science
Volume5
Nummer van het tijdschrift3
DOI's
StatusPublished - jul.-2013

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