Dissertation
Inhibitory processing of prediction violation during sentence comprehension
University of Iowa
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
Spring 2024
DOI: 10.25820/etd.007417
Abstract
It is widely acknowledged that humans engage in predictive processing during sentence comprehension. However, predictions can be frequently incorrect, and the cognitive operations to such prediction errors are not well understood. Several previous proposals suggest that an inhibitory mechanism is engaged to eliminate false predictions and process updated information. However, little empirical research has evaluated this assumption.
To address these questions, this dissertation presents two sets of experiments. Chapter 2 describes four experiments assessing whether the inhibition of predicted words occurs upon encountering unexpected linguistic stimuli, and if this inhibition is influenced by the stimuli's semantic congruity (congruent word in the sentence or not). Further, a control experiment was conducted to investigate whether such inhibition is influenced by linguistic status (word or non-linguistic sound). Employing a Cross-Modal Lexical Priming approach, the findings indicate that prediction violations lead to inhibition of the predicted word, evidenced by slowed lexical decision times to the predicted words after the presentation of a prediction violation. This inhibition appears specific to word violations, as non-linguistic sounds to not trigger such inhibitory effects. Interestingly, the semantic congruity of the word violation does not impact the degree of inhibition; any linguistic deviation from the semantic prediction leads to inhibition.
Chapter 3 investigates the specific attributes of words that instigate the inhibition of predicted words. By teasing apart phonological and semantic features—using pseudowords that have phonological properties without semantics, and environmental sounds that have semantic associations without phonological properties—the study reveals that pseudowords likely prompt inhibition of the irrelevant predicted word, while environmental sounds do not.
In conclusion, the current dissertation provides evidence that inhibitory mechanisms are engaged to suppress false prediction during sentence processing, but only after real word violations. Importantly, phonological information seems to be a major driver in triggering inhibitory processes.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Inhibitory processing of prediction violation during sentence comprehension
- Creators
- Jina Kim
- Contributors
- Kristi Hendrickson (Advisor)Bob McMurray (Committee Member)Elizabeth Walker (Committee Member)Jan R Wessel (Committee Member)J Bruce Tomblin (Committee Member)
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
- Degree in
- Speech and Hearing Science
- Date degree season
- Spring 2024
- DOI
- 10.25820/etd.007417
- Publisher
- University of Iowa
- Number of pages
- ix, 79 pages
- Copyright
- Copyright 2024 Jina Kim
- Language
- English
- Date submitted
- 01/31/2024
- Description illustrations
- tables, graphs
- Description bibliographic
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 78-79).
- Public Abstract (ETD)
- This dissertation investigates the well-known phenomenon of humans predicting upcoming words during sentence comprehension. However, the prediction can be frequently inaccurate due to multiple possible options. This dissertation addresses the central question of what happens when individuals make a false prediction: Is there an inhibition of the predicted words, or do they coexist with the actual words perceived? A series of studies within this dissertation utilized prediction-violating words instead of typical predictions, for instance, "My father carved the turkey with a CUTTER." The findings suggest that encountering a prediction violation (e.g., cutter) triggers the inhibition of the initially predicted word (e.g., knife). The inhibitory processes only occur when the prediction violation involves word violations instead of non-meaningful sounds like a beep. The research further delves into which aspects of word violations instigate the inhibition of predicted words, examining whether it is the phonological discrepancy between the violation and the prediction or the semantic difference between the two. The result of the study indicates that the phonological discrepancy is more likely to prompt the inhibition of the predicted word. In summary, this dissertation provides evidence that inhibitory mechanisms play a crucial role in suppressing false predictions during sentence processing. Notably, it reveals that phonological information is a significant factor in activating these inhibitory processes.
- Academic Unit
- Communication Sciences and Disorders; Center for Social Science Innovation
- Record Identifier
- 9984647152202771
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