Slide 1The Nature of LanguageThe Nature of LanguageThe Nature of LanguageThe Nature of LanguageThe Nature of LanguageThe Nature of LanguageThe Nature of LanguageThe Nature of LanguageThe Nature of LanguageThe Nature of LanguageThe Nature of LanguageSlide 13The Nature of LanguageThe Nature of LanguageThe Nature of LanguageThe Nature of LanguageThe Nature of LanguageThe Nature of LanguageThe Nature of LanguageThe Nature of LanguageThe Nature of LanguageThe Nature of LanguageThe Nature of LanguageThe Nature of LanguageBasic Reading ProcessesBasic Reading ProcessesBasic Reading ProcessesBasic Reading ProcessesBasic Reading ProcessesBasic Reading ProcessesBasic Reading ProcessesBasic Reading ProcessesBasic Reading ProcessesBasic Reading ProcessesBasic Reading ProcessesBasic Reading ProcessesUnderstanding DiscourseUnderstanding DiscourseUnderstanding DiscourseUnderstanding DiscourseUnderstanding DiscourseCognition, 8e by Margaret W. Matlin Chapter 9Cognition, 8eChapter 9Language I: Introduction to Language and Language ComprehensionCognition, 8e by Margaret W. Matlin Chapter 9The Nature of LanguagesyntaxgrammarsemanticspragmaticsCognition, 8e by Margaret W. Matlin Chapter 9The Nature of LanguageA Brief History of PsycholinguisticsChomsky's Approach•Language abilities can be explained in terms of a complex system of rules and principles represented in the minds of language users.•Humans have an innate understanding of the abstract principles of language.•Language learning involves the more superficial characteristics of a particular language.Cognition, 8e by Margaret W. Matlin Chapter 9The Nature of LanguageA Brief History of PsycholinguisticsChomsky's Approach (continued)•Language is modular (language is special, not processed the same as other cognitive tasks).•surface structure vs. deep structure of sentences•transformational rules•ambiguous sentencesCognition, 8e by Margaret W. Matlin Chapter 9The Nature of LanguageFactors Affecting ComprehensionNegativesClark & Chase (1972)•Negative statements require more processing time than affirmative statements.•Affirmative statements produce fewer errors.•Multiple negatives decrease performance.Cognition, 8e by Margaret W. Matlin Chapter 9The Nature of LanguageFactors Affecting ComprehensionThe Passive VoiceFerreira and her coauthors (2002)•sentence plausibility•The active form of a sentence is easier to understand than the passive form.Cognition, 8e by Margaret W. Matlin Chapter 9The Nature of LanguageFactors Affecting ComprehensionComplex Syntaxdifficult to understandcan result in memory overloadnested structureworking memoryCognition, 8e by Margaret W. Matlin Chapter 9The Nature of LanguageFactors Affecting ComprehensionAmbiguityAmbiguous WordsPeople pause longer when they are processing an ambiguous word.When people encounter a potential ambiguity, the activation builds up for all the well-known meanings of the ambiguous item.Cognition, 8e by Margaret W. Matlin Chapter 9The Nature of LanguageFactors Affecting ComprehensionAmbiguityAmbiguous WordsPeople are likely to choose one particular meaning:1. if that meaning is more common than the alternate meaning2. if the rest of the sentence is consistent with that meaningCognition, 8e by Margaret W. Matlin Chapter 9The Nature of LanguageThe "Good-Enough" Approach to Language ComprehensionPeople typically manage to read quite rapidly.The good-enough approach—Ferreira and colleagues•People frequently process only part of a sentence.•People usually do not work hard to create the most accurate, detailed interpretation of every sentence they read or hear.Cognition, 8e by Margaret W. Matlin Chapter 9The Nature of LanguageThe "Good-Enough" Approach to Language ComprehensionThe good-enough approach—Ferreira and colleagues•People read quickly, and they try to grasp the general meaning of a sentence.•Knowledge of language typically leads to an accurate interpretation.•This strategy can sometimes lead to errors in language comprehension.Cognition, 8e by Margaret W. Matlin Chapter 9The Nature of LanguageIn Depth: NeurolinguisticsIndividuals with AphasiaaphasiaFigure 9.1: Broca's Area & Wernicke's Area•Broca's area/Broca's aphasia: expressive-language deficit•Wernicke's area/Wernicke's aphasia: receptive-language deficitCognition, 8e by Margaret W. Matlin Chapter 9Cognition, 8e by Margaret W. Matlin Chapter 9The Nature of LanguageIn Depth: NeurolinguisticsIndividuals with AphasiaPeople with Broca's aphasia may also have some trouble with language comprehension.Many people with Wernicke's aphasia have problems with language production as well as language comprehension.Cognition, 8e by Margaret W. Matlin Chapter 9The Nature of LanguageIn Depth: NeurolinguisticsHemispheric Specializationlateralizationvariations related to handednessCognition, 8e by Margaret W. Matlin Chapter 9The Nature of LanguageIn Depth: NeurolinguisticsHemispheric SpecializationRole in languageleft hemisphere•speech perception/sound interpretation•meaning•imageryright hemisphere•emotional tone•humor•more abstract language tasksCognition, 8e by Margaret W. Matlin Chapter 9The Nature of LanguageIn Depth: NeurolinguisticsNeuroimaging Research in Adults Without Aphasia1. Using the fMRI method to study language in the left hemisphere.Kanwisher and colleagues•attempts to identify specific areas responsible for language comprehension tasks•individual differencesCognition, 8e by Margaret W. Matlin Chapter 9The Nature of LanguageIn Depth: NeurolinguisticsNeuroimaging Research in Adults Without Aphasia1. Using the fMRI method to study language in the left hemisphere.language-localizer task•compensates for individual differences•creates linguistic map for each person using complex language tasks•later, test each person on language and non-language tasksCognition, 8e by Margaret W. Matlin Chapter 9The Nature of LanguageIn Depth: NeurolinguisticsNeuroimaging Research in Adults Without Aphasia1. Using the fMRI method to study language in the left hemisphere.language-localizer task (continued)•Specific regions of left frontal lobe responded only to language tasks, but not to other kinds of cognitive tasks.•Other research has located portions of the left hemisphere that process specific linguistic information (e.g., sentences vs. non-words).Cognition, 8e by Margaret W. Matlin Chapter 9The Nature of LanguageIn Depth: NeurolinguisticsNeuroimaging Research in Adults Without Aphasia2.