The contribution of memory to common ground effects during language comprehension

Download Statistics

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

Zhao, Lin (2017). The contribution of memory to common ground effects during language comprehension. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

Preview

Zhao17PhD.pdf
PDF - Accepted Version
Download (13MB)

Abstract

This thesis presented ten experiments investigating the role of working memory and long-term memory in forming, storing and using representations of what is known (i.e., common ground) among people engaged in communication. Chapter 1 provided a general review of common ground and perspective-taking effects in referential communication. Chapters 2 and 3 examined how memory loads and memory capacities constrain adults and children’s ability to use a speaker’s perspective in language comprehension. Experiment 1 employed eye-tracking with adult participants, and indicated dissociable roles of working memory and long-term in perspective encoding and perspective integration. Experiments 2-3 observed an age-related improvement in the use of perspective information in language comprehension between 8- and 10-year-olds. Chapters 5 and 6 explored whether effects of common ground could be achieved via a low-level memory-based mechanism reviewed in Chapter 4, without necessarily going though explicit inferences about perspectives. Experiments 4-7 tested whether partner-specific effects could be achieved via memory associations between conversational partners and referents. Experiments 8-10 explored whether an object being in common ground or privileged ground during a preceding discourse would influence people’s memory for this object. Finally, Chapter 7 provided a brief general discussion of the findings, and suggested some potential future directions.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):