Syntactic Priming in Comprehension

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The goal of this research project is to understand the representations and processes behind syntactic priming. Syntactic priming occurs when processing the syntax of one sentence facilitates the processing of a related syntactic structure in another sentence later in the discourse. This research will test the hypothesis that syntactic priming is caused by two different types of mental processes, one that operates over short time scales (a few seconds) and another that operates over longer time scales (a few minutes to several days). This dual-mechanism hypothesis proposes that 1) transient increases in activation of syntactic representations that are tied to specific words produce short-term priming effects and 2) reorganizations of long-term memory produce longer-lived changes in the relative strength of different syntactic representations, which in turn produce long-term priming effects. The proposed experiments use behavioral and neurophysiological research methods to test the dual-mechanism account. These methods have complementary strengths but both are highly sensitive to momentary changes in cognitive processing load. Using both methods in parallel gives the potential to illuminate the mental processes that give rise to neurophysiological responses. In addition, the proposed research may contribute to our understanding of adult language learning, in particular, changes in the adult system of syntactic representations and parsing processes as learning proceeds. This in turn may suggest ways in which poor readers can improve their reading skill. The project will also provide training opportunities for graduate students.