Interpreting quantifier scope ambiguity: evidence of heuristic first, algorithmic second processing.

ABSTRACT: The present work suggests that sentence processing requires both heuristic and algorithmic processing streams, where the heuristic processing strategy precedes the algorithmic phase. This conclusion is based on three self-paced reading experiments in which the processing of two-sentence discourses was investigated, where context sentences exhibited quantifier scope ambiguity. Experiment 1 demonstrates that such sentences are processed in a shallow manner. Experiment 2 uses the same stimuli as Experiment 1 but adds questions to ensure deeper processing. Results indicate that reading times are consistent with a lexical-pragmatic interpretation of number associated with context sentences, but responses to questions are consistent with the algorithmic computation of quantifier scope. Experimen

SUBMITTER: Dwivedi VD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3835328 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature