Converging evidence for the processing costs associated with ambiguous quantifier comprehension
Traditional neuroanatomic models of language comprehension have emphasized a core language network situated in peri-Sylvian cortex. More recent evidence appears to extend the neuroanatomic network beyond peri-Sylvian cortex to encompass other aspects of sentence processing. In this study, we evaluat...
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doaj-c8a4647547984872a7a41ec0cc0435e92020-11-24T21:04:47ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782013-04-01410.3389/fpsyg.2013.0015333754Converging evidence for the processing costs associated with ambiguous quantifier comprehensionCorey T. Mcmillan0Danielle eColeman1Robin eClark2Tsao-Wei eLiang3Rachel G. Gross4Murray eGrossman5University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of PennsylvaniaThomas Jefferson UniversityUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of PennsylvaniaTraditional neuroanatomic models of language comprehension have emphasized a core language network situated in peri-Sylvian cortex. More recent evidence appears to extend the neuroanatomic network beyond peri-Sylvian cortex to encompass other aspects of sentence processing. In this study, we evaluate the neuroanatomic basis for processing the ambiguity in doubly-quantified sentences. For example, a sentence like All the dogs jumped in a lake can be interpreted with a collective interpretation (e.g., several dogs jumping into a single lake) or a distributive interpretation (e.g., several dogs each jumping into a different lake). In Experiment 1, we used BOLD fMRI to investigate neuroanatomic recruitment by young adults during the interpretation of ambiguous doubly-quantified sentences in a sentence-picture verification task. We observed that young adults exhibited a processing cost associated with interpreting ambiguous sentences and this was related to frontal and parietal cortex recruitment. In Experiment 2, we investigate ambiguous sentence processing with the identical materials in non-aphasic patients with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) who have frontal cortex disease and executive and decision-making limitations. bvFTD patients are insensitive to ambiguity associated with doubly-quantified sentences, and this is related to the magnitude of their frontal cortex disease. These studies provide converging evidence that cortical regions that extend beyond peri-Sylvian cortex help support the processing costs associated with the interpretation of ambiguous doubly-quantified sentences.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00153/fullDecision MakingExecutive FunctionFrontotemporal Dementiasentence comprehensionVoxel Based Morphometryambiguity |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Corey T. Mcmillan Danielle eColeman Robin eClark Tsao-Wei eLiang Rachel G. Gross Murray eGrossman |
spellingShingle |
Corey T. Mcmillan Danielle eColeman Robin eClark Tsao-Wei eLiang Rachel G. Gross Murray eGrossman Converging evidence for the processing costs associated with ambiguous quantifier comprehension Frontiers in Psychology Decision Making Executive Function Frontotemporal Dementia sentence comprehension Voxel Based Morphometry ambiguity |
author_facet |
Corey T. Mcmillan Danielle eColeman Robin eClark Tsao-Wei eLiang Rachel G. Gross Murray eGrossman |
author_sort |
Corey T. Mcmillan |
title |
Converging evidence for the processing costs associated with ambiguous quantifier comprehension |
title_short |
Converging evidence for the processing costs associated with ambiguous quantifier comprehension |
title_full |
Converging evidence for the processing costs associated with ambiguous quantifier comprehension |
title_fullStr |
Converging evidence for the processing costs associated with ambiguous quantifier comprehension |
title_full_unstemmed |
Converging evidence for the processing costs associated with ambiguous quantifier comprehension |
title_sort |
converging evidence for the processing costs associated with ambiguous quantifier comprehension |
publisher |
Frontiers Media S.A. |
series |
Frontiers in Psychology |
issn |
1664-1078 |
publishDate |
2013-04-01 |
description |
Traditional neuroanatomic models of language comprehension have emphasized a core language network situated in peri-Sylvian cortex. More recent evidence appears to extend the neuroanatomic network beyond peri-Sylvian cortex to encompass other aspects of sentence processing. In this study, we evaluate the neuroanatomic basis for processing the ambiguity in doubly-quantified sentences. For example, a sentence like All the dogs jumped in a lake can be interpreted with a collective interpretation (e.g., several dogs jumping into a single lake) or a distributive interpretation (e.g., several dogs each jumping into a different lake). In Experiment 1, we used BOLD fMRI to investigate neuroanatomic recruitment by young adults during the interpretation of ambiguous doubly-quantified sentences in a sentence-picture verification task. We observed that young adults exhibited a processing cost associated with interpreting ambiguous sentences and this was related to frontal and parietal cortex recruitment. In Experiment 2, we investigate ambiguous sentence processing with the identical materials in non-aphasic patients with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) who have frontal cortex disease and executive and decision-making limitations. bvFTD patients are insensitive to ambiguity associated with doubly-quantified sentences, and this is related to the magnitude of their frontal cortex disease. These studies provide converging evidence that cortical regions that extend beyond peri-Sylvian cortex help support the processing costs associated with the interpretation of ambiguous doubly-quantified sentences. |
topic |
Decision Making Executive Function Frontotemporal Dementia sentence comprehension Voxel Based Morphometry ambiguity |
url |
http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00153/full |
work_keys_str_mv |
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