Effects of lexical frequency and syntactic complexity in spoken-language comprehension: Evidence from the auditory moving-window technique

Author(s): Henderson, J. M., Anes, M. D., Weeks, P. A., Mcfarlane, D. K.

Journal/Book: J Exp Psychol-Learn Mem Cogn. 1996; 22: 750 First St NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242. Amer Psychological Assoc. 324-335.

Abstract: In 2 experiments, a new technique called the auditory moving window was used to investigate aspects of spoken-language processing. Participants paced their way through spoken sentences divided into word or wordlike segments, and their processing time for each segment was recorded. The Ist experiment demonstrated that high-frequency words in spoken sentences require less time to process than do low-frequency words. The 2nd experiment demonstrated that words in syntactically demanding contexts (i.e., the disambiguating word of so-called garden-path sentences) are processed longer than the same words in syntactically simpler contexts. Helpful prosodic information appeared to facilitate reanalysis of garden-path structures but did not seem to prevent the misanalysis. The implications of these findings for issues in spoken-language comprehension are discussed. The authors conclude that the auditory moving-window technique provides a useful tool for addressing largely unexplored issues in spoken-language comprehension.

Note: Article F Ferreira, Michigan State Univ, Dept Psychol, E Lansing, MI 48824 USA

Keyword(s): SENTENCE COMPREHENSION; WORD-FREQUENCY; EYE-MOVEMENTS; AMBIGUITY RESOLUTION; WORKING MEMORY; COMMON WORDS; CONTEXT; DISCOURSE; ATTENTION; EXPECTATIONS

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