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45
Interpretation as Abduction
, 1990
"... An approach to abductive inference developed in the TACITUS project has resulted in a dramatic simplification of how the problem of interpreting texts is conceptualized. Its use in solving the local pragmatics problems of reference, compound nominals, syntactic ambiguity, and metonymy is described ..."
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Cited by 687 (38 self)
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An approach to abductive inference developed in the TACITUS project has resulted in a dramatic simplification of how the problem of interpreting texts is conceptualized. Its use in solving the local pragmatics problems of reference, compound nominals, syntactic ambiguity, and metonymy is described and illustrated. It also suggests an elegant and thorough integration of syntax, semantics, and pragmatics. 1
Verb-specific constraints in sentence processing: Separating effects of lexical preference from garden-paths
- Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning Memory and Cognition
, 1993
"... Immediate effects of verb-specific syntactic (subcategorization) information were found in a cross-modal naming experiment, a self-paced reading experiment, and an experiment in which eye movements were monitored. In the reading studies, syntactic misanalysis effects in sentence complements (e.g., & ..."
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Cited by 182 (10 self)
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Immediate effects of verb-specific syntactic (subcategorization) information were found in a cross-modal naming experiment, a self-paced reading experiment, and an experiment in which eye movements were monitored. In the reading studies, syntactic misanalysis effects in sentence complements (e.g., "The student forgot the solution was...") occurred at the verb in the complement (e.g., was) for matrix verbs typically used with noun phrase complements but not for verbs typically used with sentence complements. In addition, a complementizer effect for sentencecomplement-biased verbs was not due to syntactic misanalysis but was correlated with how strongly a particular verb prefers to be followed by the complementizer that. The results support models that make immediate use of lexically specific constraints, especially constraint-based models, but are problematic for lexical filtering models. Many aspects of language comprehension take place rapidly, with readers and listeners making commitments to at least partial interpretations soon after receiving linguistic input
On the distinctiveness, independence, and time course of the brain responses to syntactic and semantic anomalies
- Language and Cognitive Processes
, 1999
"... We evaluated the distinctiveness, independence, and relative time courses of the event-related brain potentials (ERPs) elicited by syntactically and semanticallyanomalous words. ERPswere recorded from13 scalp electrodes while subjects read sentences, some of which contained a selectional restriction ..."
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Cited by 61 (9 self)
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We evaluated the distinctiveness, independence, and relative time courses of the event-related brain potentials (ERPs) elicited by syntactically and semanticallyanomalous words. ERPswere recorded from13 scalp electrodes while subjects read sentences, some of which contained a selectional restriction violation (semantically anomalous), a verb tense violation (syntactically anomalous), or a doubly anomalous word that violated both selectional restriction and verb tense constraints. Semantic anomalieselicited a monophasic increase in N400 amplitude, whereas syntactic anomalies eliciteda late positive shift with an onset around 500 msec and a duration of several hundred msec. Doubly anomalous words elicited both an increase in Requests for reprints should be addressed to Lee Osterhout, Department of Psychology,
Context effects in syntactic ambiguity resolution: Discourse and semantic influences in parsing reduced relative clauses
- Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology
, 1993
"... Abstract This article examines how certain types of semantic and discourse context affect the processing of relative clauses which are temporarily ambiguous between a relative clause and a main clause (e.g., "The actress selected by the director..."). We review recent results investigating ..."
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Cited by 43 (6 self)
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Abstract This article examines how certain types of semantic and discourse context affect the processing of relative clauses which are temporarily ambiguous between a relative clause and a main clause (e.g., "The actress selected by the director..."). We review recent results investigating local semantic context and temporal context, and we present some new data investigating referential contexts. The set of studies demonstrate that, contrary to many recent claims in the literature, all of these types of context can have early effects on syntactic ambiguity resolution during on-line reading comprehension. These results are discussed within a "constraint-based " framework for ambiguity resolution in which effects of context are determined by the strength and relevance of the contextual constraint and by the availability of the syntactic alternatives. Resume Le present article porte sur les effets qu'ont certains types de contextes semantiques et propres au discours sur le traitement de propositions relatives qui sont temporairement ambigues (p. ex. «Jhe actress selected by the director...»). Nous examinons les resultats obtenus recemment au sujet du contexte
Robust processing of natural language
- Lecture Notes in Computer Science 981
, 1995
"... Abstract. Previous approaches to robustness in natural language processing usually treat deviant input by relaxing grammatical constraints whenever a successful analysis cannot be provided by “normal ” means. This schema implies, that error detection always comes prior to error handling, a behaviour ..."
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Cited by 24 (1 self)
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Abstract. Previous approaches to robustness in natural language processing usually treat deviant input by relaxing grammatical constraints whenever a successful analysis cannot be provided by “normal ” means. This schema implies, that error detection always comes prior to error handling, a behaviour which hardly can compete with its human model, where many erroneous situations are treated without even noticing them. The paper analyses the necessary preconditions for achieving a higher degree of robustness in natural language processing and suggests a quite different approach based on a procedure for structural disambiguation. It not only offers the possibility to cope with robustness issues in a more natural way but eventually might be suited to accommodate quite different aspects of robust behaviour within a single framework. 1 Robustness in Natural Language Processing The notion of robustness in natural language processing is a rather broad one and lacks a precise definition. Usually, it is taken to describe a kind of monotonic
Is the mind really modular
- Contemporary Debates in Cognitive Science
, 2006
"... When Fodor titled his (1983) book the Modularity of Mind, he overstated his position. His actual view is that the mind divides into systems some of which are modular and others of which are not. The book would have been more aptly, if less provocatively, called The Modularity of Low-Level Peripheral ..."
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Cited by 19 (0 self)
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When Fodor titled his (1983) book the Modularity of Mind, he overstated his position. His actual view is that the mind divides into systems some of which are modular and others of which are not. The book would have been more aptly, if less provocatively, called The Modularity of Low-Level Peripheral Systems. High-level perception and cognitive systems are non-modular on Fodor’s theory. In recent years, modularity has found more zealous defenders, who claim that the entire mind divides into highly specialized modules. This view has been especially popular among Evolutionary Psychologists. They claim that the mind is massively modular (Cosmides and Tooby, 1994; Sperber, 1994; Pinker, 1997; see also Samuels, 1998). Like a Swiss Army Knife, the mind is an assembly of specialized tools, each of which has been designed for some particular purpose. My goal here is to raise doubts about both peripheral modularity and massive modularity. To do that, I will rely on the criteria for modularity laid out by Fodor (1983). I will argue that neither input systems, nor central systems are modular on any of these criteria. Some defenders of modularity have dropped parts of Fodor’s definition and
The influence of contextual contrast on syntactic processing: evidence for strong-interaction in sentence comprehension
- Cognition
, 2005
"... The present study compares the processing of unambiguous restrictive and non-restrictive relative clauses (RCs) within both a null context and a supportive discourse using a self-paced reading methodology. Individuals read restrictive RCs more slowly than non-restrictive RCs in a null context, but p ..."
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Cited by 17 (9 self)
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The present study compares the processing of unambiguous restrictive and non-restrictive relative clauses (RCs) within both a null context and a supportive discourse using a self-paced reading methodology. Individuals read restrictive RCs more slowly than non-restrictive RCs in a null context, but processed restrictive RCs faster than non-restrictive RCs in supportive context, resulting in an interaction between context and RC type. These results provide evidence for two theoretical points. First, principles analogous to those in referential theory (Altmann & Steedman, 1988; Crain & Steedman, 1985) apply not only in resolving ambiguity but also in processing unambiguous sentences. Second, the discourse context can guide and facilitate interpretive processing. This result suggests that intrasentential factors such as syntax are not autonomous from contextual processing, contrary to the modularity hypothesis (Fodor, 1983). 1.1
Processing Across the Language Boundary: A Cross-Modal Priming Study of Spanish-English Bilinguals
, 1996
"... A cross-modal naming paradigm was used to assess within- and between-language sentential priming in Spanish-English bilinguals. The paradigm used single-language auditory texts with visual target words under normal, visually degraded, speeded, and delayed naming conditions. Cross-language priming wa ..."
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Cited by 13 (5 self)
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A cross-modal naming paradigm was used to assess within- and between-language sentential priming in Spanish-English bilinguals. The paradigm used single-language auditory texts with visual target words under normal, visually degraded, speeded, and delayed naming conditions. Cross-language priming was always observed when the target language was predictable (in the blocked condition), even under speeded conditions. When the target language was unpredictable (in the mixed condition), cross-language priming was observed only when response was delayed (delayed naming) and under a subset of conditions when word recognition was delayed (visual degradation). Results are compatible with the idea that cross-language priming in a sentence context is more likely to involve the use of expectations, strategic processes, or both that allow bilinguals to tune themselves to external conditions. There are enough exceptions to the general rule, however, to warrant a reconsideration of the lexical-postlexieal dichotomy. Implications for modular versus interactive models of lexical access are discussed. This article desribes a series of experiments exploring the conditions under whieh priming occurs in bilingual individuals. The inquiry requires consideration of issues in lexical access are
Is perception informationally encapsulated? The issue of theory-ladenness of perception
- Cognitive Science 25 (2001) 423–451 Animal Abduction 37
"... Fodor has argued that observation is theory neutral, since the perceptual systems are modular, that is, they are domain-specific, encapsulated, mandatory, fast, hard-wired in the organism, and have a fixed neural architecture. Churchland attacks the theoretical neutrality of observation on the groun ..."
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Cited by 10 (0 self)
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Fodor has argued that observation is theory neutral, since the perceptual systems are modular, that is, they are domain-specific, encapsulated, mandatory, fast, hard-wired in the organism, and have a fixed neural architecture. Churchland attacks the theoretical neutrality of observation on the grounds that (a) the abundant top-down pathways in the brain suggest the cognitive penetration of perception and (b) perceptual learning can change in the wiring of the perceptual systems. In this paper I introduce a distinction between sensation, perception, and observation and I argue that although Churchland is right that observation involves top-down processes, there is also a substantial amount of information in perception which is theory-neutral. I argue that perceptual learning does not threaten the cognitive impenetrability of perception, and that the neuropsychological research does not provide evi-dence in favor of the top-down character of perception. Finally, I discuss the possibility of an off-line cognitive penetrability of perception. © 2001 Cognitive Science Society, Inc. All rights reserved. 1.
