Syntactic and lexical processing in healthy ageing

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Hardy, Sophie M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0961-8873 (2020). Syntactic and lexical processing in healthy ageing. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

Successful sentence production requires rapid word retrieval and the generation of an appropriate grammatical structure. In this thesis, I investigated how these lexical and syntactic processes are affected by healthy ageing. In Chapter 2, using a structural priming paradigm, I found evidence that the nature of syntactic representations is unaffected by healthy ageing and that global, not internal, structure determined syntactic choices in young and older adults. In Chapters 3-4, using adaptations of the planning scope paradigm, I found that young and older adults engaged in a similar phrasal scope of advanced planning. However, I also found evidence of age-related differences in lexical processing in that older adults were less able to manage the temporal activation of lexical items and their integration into syntactic structures. In Chapter 5, I investigated sentence comprehension using the neuroimaging technique of MEG. In young adults, I found that the binding of words into a minimal sentence structure was associated with a modulation in alpha power. Overall, the findings of this thesis demonstrate that there is a complex relationship between healthy ageing and language, such that certain features of language may be preserved with age, while others decline.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):