句子理解过程中句法与语义加工的EEG时频分析

EEG时频分析旨在通过测量单个电极各频段的能量变化, 揭示事件相关振荡活动。采用该技术, 最近的句子加工研究发现, 句法与语义过程均与多个频段(θ、a、b或γ)能量变化相联系。此外, 不同方面的句法(如语法性、数)和语义加工(语义整合或预期)与不同频段振荡活动相联系。将来的研究应该使用多种EEG能量计算方法, 在多种语言中, 探讨时态、词序等句法加工所伴随的振荡活动, 特别是句法和语义过程相互作用在EEG能量变化上的表现。     

第二语言句子加工的ERP研究

研究者对第一语言句子加工的事件相关电位(ERP)进行研究,提出了句子加工三阶段模型及对应的ERP成分。第二语言(L2)句子加工的ERP研究结果很不一致。首先,从句子加工的ERP反应模式上来看,大多数研究发现L2学习者的ERP反应模式和母语者有质的差异,少数研究发现L2学习者加工L2句子的ERP模式类似母语者,但其反应的时间进程、波幅或分布与母语者有显著差异。被试的学习年龄、熟练程度以及学习者的两种语言的相似性程度可能是影响第二语言句子加工ERP反应的主要因素。     

句子理解加工的新进展

句子理解由于加工过程的迅速性而成为心理语言学研究的一个难点, 近年因研究方法和手段的改进而有所突破。目前研究的主要争论集中于句子加工的机制, 即在句子加工的时间进程中, 各种信息的作用及其起作用的时间点上。该文试图对句子研究的主要理论派别及其争论和目前主要研究方向作一个简要的概述     

句法加工的ERP研究综述

句法加工是语言理解中的重要环节。句法加工的脑机制问题是心理语言学和认知神经科学的重要研究内容。使用事件相关电位(ERP)技术对句法加工的脑机制的研究已经取得了一些重要的研究成果,发现了句法加工的早成分(LAN)和晚成分(P600/SPS),确立了一些句法加工的研究范式。在这个过程中,也还有一些问题存在争论。该文将对句法加工的ERP研究的成果和问题分别进行介绍和讨论。     

工作记忆容量的差异对第二语言句法歧义句加工的影响

采用眼动技术, 以句子阅读过程中, 句子不同区段的首次注视时间作为句子即时性加工的指标, 回扫次数和总的注视时间作为句子非即时加工的指标, 考察了非熟练的汉-英双语者, 工作记忆容量的差异对第二语言(英语)暂时句法歧义句加工的影响。结果显示: 高工作记忆容量的被试, 在句子不同区段的首次注视时间和总的注视时间均短于低工作记忆容量的被试; 高、低工作记忆容量被试的回扫模式相似。研究结果表明, 对于非熟练的汉-英双语者, 工作记忆容量的差异既影响英语句法歧义句即时性的加工, 也影响非即时性的加工, 即工作记忆容量的差异既影响英语句法歧义句初始的句法加工过程, 也影响句法的重新分析过程。研究结果在一定程度上支持工作记忆容量限制的理论。     

句子加工中语义关联性和句法歧义性实验研究

采用自定速移动视窗技术,探讨语义关联性和句法歧义性对汉语直接宾语、宾语小句类暂时句法歧义句理解加工的影响。结果发现：语义关联性和句法歧义性对歧义区和解歧区的阅读时间有显著影响,并在解歧区产生了显著的交互作用,表明语义信息即时参与对句子的理解加工并同句法信息一起共同影响句子的认知加工过程。     

汉语句子加工中句法信息与语义信息的交互作用：来自ERP的证据

采用ERP技术考察句子加工过程中句法信息和语义信息交互作用的时间进程。以汉语“把字句”为实验材料,分别比较句法违例句与双重违例句的LAN和P600效应、语义违例句与双重违例句的N400效应。与句法违例句相比,双重违例句的LAN效应的波幅更负,潜伏期更长,皮层分布更广泛;双重违例句的P600效应出现减弱趋势;双重违例句的N400效应的潜伏期显著长于语义违例句。结果表明,在句子加工的各个阶段,句法信息和语义信息呈持续交互作用,支持句子的平行加工模型。     

语言理解中句法加工的脑机制

大量研究表明左侧额叶和颞叶的多个脑区与句法加工有关, 已有的理论模型分别从不同的角度对句法加工的脑机制进行了解释。通过文献比较与分析发现, 对句法加工的操作定义、实验任务、被试个体差异以及语言差异等均可能导致研究结果出现差异。在将来的研究中, 可以通过跨语言、多任务比较, 不同层面的句法加工的操作, 在方法上将个体功能定位分析与传统的组分析相结合, 以及从神经网络的角度来更准确和全面地揭示句法加工的脑机制。     

言语韵律加工的ERP研究

韵律是言语各部分声音特性的综合,包括言语韵律和情绪韵律.有关言语韵律加工的ERP研究,涉及韵律成分加工、其与句法、语义、信息结构等的交互作用,以及韵律加工的个体差异.这些研究提供了丰富的信息.但由于韵律的复杂性,目前的研究仍然缺乏统一的范式,所得发现也难以有效整合.今后的言语韵律研究,应对已有研究成果从不同方面和角度进行验证和拓展,并充分重视汉语这一声调语言的加工独特性.     

认知事件相关电位P300与儿童青少年工作记忆的发展

研究采用ERP技术对59名儿童工作记忆水平与事件相关电位进行比较分析,以说明工作记忆发展的神经电生理基础及年龄特征。实验仪器为美国NICOLET公司生产的COMPACT FOUR脑诱发电位仪。结果发现:(1)儿童工作记忆水平与P300各成分潜伏期呈负相关,与P300各成分的振幅呈正相关。(2)儿童P300的各潜伏期随年龄增长而下降,振幅随年龄增长而增大。(3)不同性别儿童P300各成分均无显著性差异。     

工作记忆中句法歧义加工的双重表征研究

本实验研究考察了高广度的中国中英文阅读者在对具有句法歧义结构的中英文句子是否在工作记忆中产生双重表征,以及任务难度对这种双重表征的保持会的影响。实验结果表明：（１）中文高广度阅读者能对汉语并列歧义产生双重表征;（２）中国的英文高广度阅读者能够对英语Ｖｅｄ歧义产生双重表征;（３）在回答提问的任务难度有所增加时,这种双重表征得以保持,其强度没有立即随之降低。     

Distinct Neurophysiological Patterns Reflecting Aspects of Syntactic Complexity and Syntactic Repair

Aspects of syntactic complexity and syntactic repair were investigated by comparing the event-related (brain) potentials (ERPs) for sentences of different syntactic complexity to those containing a syntactic violation. Previous research had shown that both aspects of syntactic processing are reflected in a late positivity (P600). Results from the present reading experiment demonstrate, however, that although both processing aspects elicit a late positivity, they are different in distribution. The repair-related positivity preceded by a negativity displayed a centroparietal distribution, whereas the complexity-related positivity showed a frontocentral scalp distribution. These data indicate that the P600 is not a unitary phenomenon. Moreover, the distributional differences strongly suggest that different neural structures underlie the two aspects of processing, namely syntactic repair and syntactic integration difficulties, most evident when processing syntactically complex sentences.     

Antecedent priming at trace positions in Japanese long-distance scrambling

We report the results from three cross-modal lexical decision experiments investigating antecedent priming effects in Japanese. In the first two experiments we examined antecedent reactivation at the preverbal trace position in long-distance scrambling sentences. We found an interaction between the participants' working memory (WM) span and antecedent priming. For the high span group, the magnitude of antecedent priming at the trace position was significantly larger than at the earlier control position; for the low span group, on the other hand, there was no such difference. In a third experiment, we examined whether similar reactivation effects could be observed for argument expressions that are not base-generated adjacent to the verb. Contrary to scrambled objects, subject noun phrases (NPs) in canonically ordered sentences were not reactivated at the preverbal test position in either of the two participant groups. We argue that the priming effect observed in the high span group supports a trace-based account of long-distance scrambling. The degree of complexity of the experimental sentences was such that they exceeded the memory span of the low span group. We conclude that argument traces access their antecedents irrespective of the position of their subcategorizers.     

句法歧义句理解加工中的语义关联性效应研究

通过实验探讨了汉语直接宾语(DO)/宾语小句(SC)类暂时句法歧义句理解加工中的语义关联性效应。实验采用自定速动窗技术。实验1发现在汉语暂时句法歧义句理解加工中存在语义关联性效应。实验2发现语义关联性与句法歧义性因素在解歧区产生了显著的交互作用。结果表明,语义关联性因素显著影响对句子的理解加工,并且与句法歧义因素共同作用于句子的理解加工过程。     

认知负荷和控制性注意对工作记忆广度任务成绩的影响

通过stroop干扰实验严格筛选被试,考察了控制性注意能力不同的被试在加工部分认知负荷不同的工作记忆广度任务中的成绩。结果表明：任务复杂性和加工速度对工作记忆广度任务成绩有重要影响,任务越复杂或加工速度越快,被试的工作记忆广度任务成绩越低;在复杂的和加工速度快的工作记忆广度任务中,控制性注意能力高的被试成绩要好于控制性注意能力低的被试,但在简单的和加工速度慢的任务中两者成绩没有显著差异。     

暂时句法歧义句认知加工初探

研究通过两个实验探讨了汉语句子理解中的直接宾语（DO）／句子补语（SC）类暂时句法歧义句的认知加工特征。实验一采用自定速移动视窗技术,发现歧义句和无歧义句解歧区的阅读时间存在显著差异。实验二增加了论题适合性因素以探讨非句法信息在句子理解加工中的影响,发现论题适合性信息影响歧义区和解歧区的阅读时间。实验结果表明：在汉语句子加工中存在DO／SC暂时句法歧义效应;论题适合性信息即时参与对句子的加工,并对句法歧义效应产生影响。     

The Effect of Phonemic Repetition on Syntactic Ambiguity Resolution: Implications for Models of Working Memory

Two reading experiments investigated the extent to which the presence of phonemic repetition in sentences influenced processing difficulty during syntactic ambiguity resolution. In both experiments, participants read sentences silently as reading time was measured. Reading time on sentences containing a temporary syntactic ambiguity was compared to reading time on unambiguous control sentences. Sentences either did or did not contain repeated phonemes. The results showed that reading time was longer for sentences containing a syntactic ambiguity than for unambiguous control sentences. Reading time was also longer on sentences containing repeated phonemes than on sentences that did not contain repeated phonemes. Phonemic repetition did not increase the time taken for syntactic ambiguity resolution; rather, the effects of syntactic ambiguity and phonemic repetition were temporally distinct, with the effect of phonemic repetition following the effect of syntactic ambiguity. Implications for theories of working memory are discussed.     

Searching for the Trace: The Influence of Age, Lexical Activation and Working Memory on Sentence Processing

To investigate the stability of trace reactivation in healthy older adults, 22 older volunteers with no significant neurological history participated in a cross-modal priming task. Whilst both object relative center embedded (ORC) and object relative right branching (ORR) sentences were employed, working memory load was reduced by limiting the number of words separating the antecedent from the gap for both sentence types. Analysis of the results did not reveal any significant trace reactivation for the ORC or ORR sentences. The results did reveal, however, a positive correlation between age and semantic priming at the pre-gap position and a negative correlation between age and semantic priming at the gap position for ORC sentences. In contrast, there was no correlation between age and priming effects for the ORR sentences. These results indicated that trace reactivation may be sensitive to a variety of age related factors, including lexical activation and working memory. The implications of these results for sentence processing in the older population are discussed.