title: How WM load influences linguistic processing in adults: a computational model of pronoun interpretation in discourse.
abstract: This paper presents a study of the effect of working memory load on the interpretation of pronouns in different discourse contexts: stories with and without a topic shift. We discuss a computational model (in ACT-R, Anderson, 2007) to explain how referring expressions are acquired and used. On the basis of simulations of this model, it is predicted that WM constraints only affect adults' pronoun resolution in stories with a topic shift, but not in stories without a topic shift. This latter prediction was tested in an experiment. The results of this experiment confirm that WM load reduces adults' sensitivity to discourse cues signaling a topic shift, thus influencing their interpretation of subsequent pronouns.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands. vanrij.jacolien@gmail.com
authors.forename: Jacolien
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van Rij
authors.forename: Hedderik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: van Rijn
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hendriks
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D032882:Comprehension / Q000502:physiology*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003210:Concept Formation / Q000502:physiology*; D003463:Cues; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008037:Linguistics; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011932:Reading; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cognitive modeling; Language processing; Pronouns; Working memory load