绝句韵律边界的认知加工及其脑电效应

语言理解过程中, 句子内部的韵律短语边界会诱发反映韵律短语终止的特异性脑电成分终止正漂移 (CPS, closure positive shift), 而句末语调短语边界则会诱发反映句法终止和完整语言单元结束的脑电效应P3。研究采用汉语特有的语篇绝句, 考察了听者加工绝句中各句末语调短语边界的认知过程及其诱发的脑电效应。结果发现五言绝句内部各语调短语边界分别诱发了时间进程、头皮分布和波幅均相同的CPS, 表明语篇内部韵律边界加工不受其所处语篇位置的影响; 五言和七言绝句末的韵律边界则分别诱发了一个P3, 并且前者诱发的P3波幅小于后者, 而二者在时间进程和头皮分布上不存在差异。本研究表明, 句末语调短语边界诱发何种脑电效应与其承担的功能有关, 既表示前面信息终止又预期后面信息出现的句末边界会诱发CPS, 而只表示信息终止的句末边界则会诱发P3。     

口吃者加工汉语歧义短语的神经过程

韵律边界是口语韵律特征的有机组成部分, 在语言理解中发挥着重要作用。口吃作为一种言语节律性障碍, 主要表现为音节经常性的重复、拖长或停顿等。本研究采用ERP, 考察口吃者完成词汇判断和结构判断两种任务时, 加工歧义短语(动宾/偏正歧义结构)内部韵律边界的认知过程。结果发现口吃者和言语流畅者在加工汉语歧义短语过程中, 所诱发的反映韵律切分的脑电成分CPS (closure positive shift)不存在显著差异。在0~300 ms, 不论中线还是两侧, 口吃者和言语流畅者加工两类短语时, 动宾短语韵律边界诱发正效应的头皮分布范围小于偏正短语。在300~600 ms, 中线上, 口吃和言语流畅者在完成两种任务时, 两类短语的韵律边界均稳定诱发了正效应; 在两侧, 结构判断任务中两类短语的韵律边界都诱发了正效应, 但词汇判断任务中只有偏正短语稳定诱发该效应。综上, 口吃者和言语流畅者一样对口语韵律边界敏感, 并且他们加工歧义短语内部韵律边界时, 诱发的脑电效应受到实验任务和短语结构类型的影响。     

句子理解过程中敬语加工和词类加工的交互作用：来自ERPs的证据

采用事件相关电位(ERPs)技术,通过同时操纵名词短语中听话人社会地位和话语中第二人称代词形式“你/您”的一致性以及名词短语中词类的一致性,考察句子理解过程中敬语加工和词类加工的交互作用。研究结果显示,在词类一致条件下,敬语违反在高语用能力组诱发P600,低语用能力组诱发左侧前部负波(LAN)和晚期负活动;词类违反的条件下,两组被试中均没有发现和敬语违反加工相关的ERP效应,词类违反和词类-敬语双重违反在两组被试中均诱发P600效应。结果表明,在语言理解过程中,敬语的加工必须在成功的、基于词类的短语结构建构的基础上进行;敬语一致性的加工策略受到个体语用能力的调节。     

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。     

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。     

注意促进效应的ERP研究

近期发现,采用目标探测任务作为二级任务时,目标探测条件不仅不会削弱,甚至会提高记忆成绩,产生注意促进效应（ABE）。为进一步探究目标探测的作用机制,研究采用事件相关电位（ERP）技术,对比目标与分心条件在编码和提取过程中所诱发的ERP差异。结果表明,两类条件在再认过程中所诱发的ERP差异不仅表现在早期与知觉加工相关的ERP成份上,并且一直持续到了后期与细节提取相关的ERP成分上。由此推测,ABE不仅体现在编码早期的知觉加工阶段,更会延续到后期的复述与精加工。     

人名相关自我加工的时间过程——事件相关电位研究提供的电生理证据

本研究采用事件相关电位技术（ERP）探讨了自我名字加工的神经机制。实验中向被试随机呈现大圆、小圆及名字,被试的任务是辨别大圆和小圆,名字是任务无关刺激。实验结果表明,被试自己的名字引发的P2及P3波幅都显著高于名人的名字及陌生人的名字。 与以往研究结果不同,本研究发现了P2波幅上的“自我名字效应”,即,人名相关的自我加工不仅表现在晚期成分P3上,同时还表现在早期成分P2上。所以,人名相关的自我加工过程分为早期和晚期两个加工阶段,前一个阶段可能是自动化加工,不需要意识参与,后一个阶段是意识加工。     

从语义启动效应看事件相关电位N400的实质

从20世纪80年代以来,事件相关电位(Event-RelatedPotential,简称ERP)技术被广泛地应用于认知加工的研究。运用ERP研究认知加工过程时,常见的思路有两种:一种是关心某个特定的ERP成分,另一种是关心某个认知过程中会产生哪些ERP成分。大多数早期的ERP研究都遵循第一种思路,有关事件相关电位N400的研究就是其中的一例。为了探讨N400的实质,大量的研究都选用语义启动范式,本文对相关的研究进行了回顾和总结,并探讨了已有研究中存在的问题,试图为进一步的研究提供借鉴作用。     

身体活动与心理活动动词加工的ERP比较

在19名右利手被试完成词汇判断任务的同时,通过119个头皮电极记录其事件相关电位（ERP）,以此来探讨表示身体活动的动词与表示心理活动的动词之间的加工差异。研究结果表明,在200~300ms时窗,在左半球枕区附近,身体活动动词所诱发的ERP比心理活动动词所诱发的ERP在正走向上更小。在300~400ms（即类似的N400）时窗,动词类型效应出现在中线和左半球的更大的区域上,特别是中央区附近,身体活动动词所诱发的ERP比心理活动动词所诱发的ERP在负走向上更大。语言表征的神经生物学理论可以解释本研究的部分结果。     

汉英语义通达过程的事件相关电位研究

采用事件相关电位(ERP)技术对双语表征进行了探索。实验考察了句末词呈现之后500ms内英汉两种语言的语言内和语言间语义整合在语义一致和语义不一致两种条件下的P190和N400的潜伏期和波幅。结果显示,P190具有语言的形式加工效应,这种效应在汉英两种语言加工中有明显差异;而N400具有语义加工效应,汉英两种语言的N400模式相同。结果表明双话者两种语言的形态是分别表征的,而语义是共同表征的。     

Electrophysiological correlates of prosody and punctuation

Psycholinguistic models of sentence parsing are primarily based on reading rather than auditory processing data. Moreover, both prosodic information and its potential orthographic equivalent, i.e., punctuation, have been largely ignored until recently. The unavailability of experimental online methods is one likely reason for this neglect. Here I give an overview of six event-related brain potential (ERP) studies demonstrating that the processing of both prosodic boundaries in natural speech and commas during silent reading can determine syntax parsing immediately. In ERPs, speech boundaries and commas reliably elicit a similar online brain response, termed the Closure Positive Shift (CPS). This finding points to a common mechanism, suggesting that commas serve as visual triggers for covert phonological phrasing. Alternative CPS accounts are tested and the relationship between the CPS and other ERP components, including the P600/SPS, is addressed.     

Prosodic boundaries, comma rules, and brain responses: the closure positive shift in ERPs as a universal marker for prosodic phrasing in listeners and readers

Just as the false comma in this sentence, shows punctuation can influence sentence processing considerably. Pauses and other prosodic cues in spoken language serve the same function of structuring the sentence in smaller phrases. However, surprisingly little effort has been spent on the question as to whether both phenomena rest on the same mechanism and whether they are equally efficient in guiding parsing decisions. In a recent study, we showed that auditory speech boundaries evoke a specific positive shift in the listeners' event-related brain potentials (ERPs) that indicates the sentence segmentation and resulting changes in the understanding of the utterance (Steinhauer et al., 1999a). Here, we present three ERP reading experiments demonstrating that the human brain processes commas in a similar manner and that comma perception depends crucially on the reader's individual punctuation habits. Main results of the study are: (1) Commas can determine initial parsing as efficiently as speech boundaries because they trigger the same prosodic phrasing covertly, although phonological representations seem to be activated to a lesser extent. (2) Independent of the input modality, this phrasing is reflected online by the same ERP component, namely the Closure Positive Shift (CPS). (3) Both behavioral and ERP data suggest that comma processing varies with the readers' idiosyncratic punctuation habits. (4) A combined auditory and visual ERP experiment shows that the CPS is also elicited both by delexicalized prosody and while subjects replicate prosodic boundaries during silent reading. (5) A comma-induced reversed garden path turned out to be much more difficult than the classical garden path. Implications for psycholinguistic models and future ERP research are discussed.     

Intonational phrase structure processing at different stages of syntax acquisition: ERP studies in 2-, 3-, and 6-year-old children

This study explored the electrophysiology underlying intonational phrase processing at different stages of syntax acquisition. Developmental studies suggest that children's syntactic skills advance significantly between 2 and 3 years of age. Here, children of three age groups were tested on phrase-level prosodic processing before and after this developmental phase, while their brain activity was recorded. The Closure Positive Shift (CPS), which indexes the perception of intonational phrasing in adults, served as dependent variable. The event-related brain potentials of 3- and 6-year-olds, but not of 21-month-olds, showed a CPS. These results suggest that prosodic phrase processing, as indicated by the CPS, is established only later during children's development, pointing to a close interaction of prosody and syntax acquisition.     

口语句子的韵律边界：窥探言语理解的秘窗

韵律边界加工与言语理解紧密相关, 最近十几年来逐渐成为心理学和语言学的研究焦点。韵律系统包含若干由小到大的韵律单位, 不同单位的韵律成分其边界强度不同, 表现在音高、延宕和停顿三个声学线索上的参数也不同。句子的听力理解过程中, 听话人运用声学线索感知权重策略对韵律边界的声学线索进行加工。从神经层面上来看, 对于韵律边界的加工, 大脑显示出独立且特异性的神经机制。韵律边界的加工能力在婴儿出生后随年龄的增长而发展, 到了老年阶段则逐渐退化, 而且似乎能够对二语迁移。未来, 需要扩大对韵律边界声学表现的考查范围, 进一步明确韵律边界的加工过程, 进一步厘清韵律边界加工和句法加工之间的关系, 进一步关注二语者韵律边界加工能力的发展。     

韵律特征研究

介绍从知觉、认知和语料库分析角度对汉语韵律特征进行的一系列研究。（1）韵律特征知觉：用实验心理学和知觉标注的语料库分析方法,研究汉语语调和音高下倾与降阶问题,语句和语篇中知觉可以区分的韵律层级及相关的声学线索。研究结果支持汉语语调的双线模型理论和语句音高下倾的存在;证明语篇中知觉可以区分的韵律边界是小句、句子和段落,及其知觉相关的声学线索。（2）韵律特征与其他语言学结构的关系：在标注的语料库的基础上,用常规统计方法研究语句常规重音分布规律、语篇信息结构与重音的关系、并用决策树方法研究根据文本信息确定韵律短语边界和焦点的规则。（3）韵律特征在语篇理解中的作用：用实验心理学方法和脑电指标研究韵律对语篇信息整合和指代理解的影响,揭示其作用的认知和神经机制。讨论了这些研究结果对语音工程、语音学理论和心理语言学研究的实践和理论意义     

音乐与语言的关系：来自句法、语义与音调节奏感知的神经活动证据

音乐和语言加工神经基础的关系研究,近年来发展迅速,获得了越来越多的关注。“共享结构整合资源假说”主张音乐的句法加工和语言的句法加工具有较大程度的神经资源的共享。在听觉语言实验中反映句法违例的ERP ELAN与音乐句法违例引发的ERAN极为相似,唯一的区别仅在于它们的分布有所不同——ERAN就像是一个两半球对称的ELAN。而且ERAN的引发不受是否接受过音乐训练这一因素的影响,虽然音乐人被试引发的ERAN波幅更大。一些研究发现音乐语义加工的神经基础为N400和N500。前者可以由音乐和语言两种刺激引发,后者只能由音乐意义的加工引发。然而,音乐的音调感知和语言的音调感知是否共享了神经资源,却还没有确定的结论。     

Processing focus structure and implicit prosody during reading: differential ERP effects

Several recent studies have shown that focus structural representations influence syntactic processing during reading, while other studies have shown that implicit prosody plays an important role in the understanding of written language. Up until now, the relationship between these two processes has been mostly disregarded. The present study disentangles the roles of focus structure and accent placement in reading by reporting event-related brain potential (ERP) data on the processing of contrastive ellipses. The results reveal a positive-going waveform (350-1300 ms) that correlates with focus structural processing and a negativity (450-650 ms) interpreted as the correlate of implicit prosodic processing. The results suggest that the assignment of focus as well as accent placement are obligatory processes during reading.     

Time-driven effects on parsing during reading

The phonological trace of perceived words starts fading away in short-term memory after a few seconds. Spoken utterances are usually 2-3 s long, possibly to allow the listener to parse the words into coherent prosodic phrases while they still have a clear representation. Results from this brain potential study suggest that even during silent reading, words are organized into 2-3 s long ‘implicit’ prosodic phrases. Participants read the same sentences word by word at different presentation rates. Clause-final words occurring at multiples of 2-3 s from sentence onset yielded increased positivity, irrespective of presentation rate. The effect was interpreted as a closure positive shift (CPS), reflecting insertion of implicit prosodic phrase boundaries every 2-3 s. Additionally, in participants with low working memory span, clauses over 3 s long produced a negativity, possibly indicating increased working memory load.