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Children's Sentence Comprehension: The Influence of Working Memory on Lexical Retrieval During Complex Sentence Processing

Finney, Mianisha C.
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8944-983X
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1469804803

Abstract Details

2016, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, Speech-Language Science (Health Sciences and Professions).
Background: Models of adult sentence comprehension are emerging that suggest object relative (OR) sentence processing is subserved by memory abilities. Though the developmental literature lacks similar models of comprehension, investigations of children's cognitive abilities and sentence comprehension suggest that working memory capacity (WMc) and focus attention switching are related to children's sentence comprehension. Typically developing children (as young as 6 years old) have demonstrated the ability to reactivate NP1 at the syntactically relevant gap location (verb offset). Importantly, Roberts, Marinis, Felser, and Clahsen (2007) found that WMc appears to play a role in children’s ability to reactivate NP1 at the gap, leading authors to suggest that perhaps children with lower WMc need more time to reactivate and integrate a dislocated NP constituent during sentence processing. Extending the work of Roberts et al., this study investigated the influence of two memory mechanisms, working memory and attention switching, on lexical reactivation (NP1). Two sentence locations were investigated: (a) the syntactic gap, and (b) the post-gap (500 msec after the gap), a reasonable temporal point from estimates in the adult literature that should reflect the possible delayed NP1 reactivation in children (delay defined as “not immediate” reactivation). Aims: The two primary aims were to investigate the contributions of WMc and attention switching on NP1 reactivation time at (a) the syntactic gap (Gap) and (b) 500 msec after the syntactic gap (Post-Gap) during children’s OR sentence processing. Methods: Typically developing children, 9-11 years of age, completed three experimental tasks: a working memory capacity task (WMc), an attentional focus switching task, and a cross-modal picture priming task to capture NP1 reactivation during sentence processing. Results and Conclusion: GLM modeling suggested that WMc and attention switching both contributed to speeded NP1 reactivation times. The findings agree with the emerging developmental language literature by showing that WMc appears to play a role in memory retrieval during OR sentence processing. Importantly, focus switching was found to be critically important in supporting memory retrieval during OR comprehension. Children’s ability to momentarily switch their focus of attention away from the current demands of ongoing sentence processing to memory retrieval facilitated the speeded reactivation of a prior constituent (NP1).
James Montgomery (Committee Chair)
107 p.
Behaviorial Sciences; Cognitive Psychology; Language
working memory; attention; attention switching; lexical retrieval; children; sentence processing; sentence comprehension

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Finney, M. C. (2016). Children's Sentence Comprehension: The Influence of Working Memory on Lexical Retrieval During Complex Sentence Processing [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1469804803

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Finney, Mianisha. Children's Sentence Comprehension: The Influence of Working Memory on Lexical Retrieval During Complex Sentence Processing. 2016. Ohio University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1469804803.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Finney, Mianisha. "Children's Sentence Comprehension: The Influence of Working Memory on Lexical Retrieval During Complex Sentence Processing." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1469804803

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ohiou1469804803
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This open access ETD is published by Ohio University and OhioLINK.