Incrementally Dissociating Syntax and Semantics

Autor/in	Brennan, Jonathan R.
Titel	Incrementally Dissociating Syntax and Semantics
Quelle	(2010), (174 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit Ph.D. Dissertation, New York University
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
ISBN	978-1-1243-3115-7
Schlagwörter	Hochschulschrift; Dissertation; Semantics; Syntax; Linguistic Competence; Computational Linguistics; Brain; Hypothesis Testing; Theories; Prediction; Diagnostic Tests; Story Reading; Listening; Brain Hemisphere Functions; Cognitive Processes; Models; Grammar; Cognitive Psychology + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Thesis; Dissertations; Academic thesis; Semantik; Sprachkompetenz; Linguistics; Computerlinguistik; Gehirn; Hypothesenprüfung; Hypothesentest; Theory; Theorie; Vorhersage; Diagnostic test; Diagnostischer Test; Hörvorgang; Zuhören; Cognitive process; Kognitiver Prozess; Analogiemodell; Grammatik; Kognitive Psychologie
Abstract	A basic challenge for research into the neurobiology of language is understanding how the brain combines words to make complex representations. Linguistic theory divides this task into several computations including syntactic structure building and semantic composition. The close relationship between these computations, however, poses a strong challenge for efforts to distinguish them at the neural level. This dissertation develops and tests a hypothesis derived from the computational linguistics literature that these computations may dissociate when considered as incrementally applied operations. Under this approach, different theories of the relationship between syntactic and semantic computations carry distinct predictions about incremental processing load. In this dissertation, predictions from formal, psychologically grounded, models of incremental parsing are tested against brain data from two experiments using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and magnetoencephalography (MEG). Results from these experiments, where participants perform relatively natural tasks (reading or listening to a story), provide novel evidence concerning the localization and timing of brain activity involved in building complex linguistic representations. Comparing brain activity with predictions from models based on two different grammatical architectures offers evidence favoring grammatical theories which distinguish structure building and semantic composition as separate types of computations. As such, this work contributes to a broader goal to develop new methods for using brain data to evaluate theoretically informed models of linguistic competence and performance. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.] (As Provided).
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Update	2017/4/10