Measuring cognitive distance in the network representations of texts.
Pairs of words are identified more quickly as coming from different sentences the further apart the words are in the network representation of their native text. How is the distance between the words measured? According to the network connection hypothesis, the distance between 2 words is the length of the network path between the propositions to which they belong, as measured by a process of spreading activation. According to the location code hypothesis, the distance between 2 words is the difference between codes that record the locations of their propositions in the network representation. The results of 3 experiments supported the network connection hypothesis.
Dopkins
Stephen
S
Psychology Department, The George Washington University, NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA. dopkins@gwu.edu
Sargent
Jesse
J
D001288:Attention; D003071:Cognition; D032882:Comprehension; D013181:Cortical Spreading Depression; D004215:Distance Perception; D006801:Humans; D011939:Mental Recall; D016571:Neural Networks, Computer; D009949:Orientation; D010153:Paired-Associate Learning; D011930:Reaction Time; D011932:Reading; D012660:Semantics