Publications by authors named "Valerie J Langlois"
Theta-band neural oscillations reflect cognitive control during language processing.
J Exp Psychol Gen
September 2024
Article Synopsis
- Language processing often involves conflicting information, requiring quick resolution of different meanings while understanding sentences.
- Research shows that theta-band neural activity (3-8 Hz) serves as an indicator of cognitive control engagement, similar to its role in non-language tasks.
- In studies, greater linguistic conflict leads to increased theta-band power within 300 ms of encountering the conflict, highlighting that cognitive control is rapidly activated when faced with sentence ambiguity.
Article Synopsis
- * The article emphasizes that cognitive control is vital for resolving these conflicts during language comprehension, an aspect often overlooked in psycholinguistic theories.
- * A proposed model suggests that cognitive control uses top-down signals to enhance the strongest interpretations based on reliable evidence, while linguistic knowledge helps guide these signals to improve comprehension efficiency.
Comprehenders have been shown to use both syntactic and semantic cues to understand pronouns like he and she. In Ana threw the ball to Liz. She…, there is a syntactic bias to assign "she" to the previous subject (Ana), and a semantic bias to assign it to the goal referent (Liz).
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