The Cognitive Basis of Linguistic Illusions

我们在日常对话中使用和理解语言的能力似乎是一项既快速又轻松的壮举。正如我们对周围世界的视觉解释是强大而完整的印象一样，我们对语言的印象也同样丰富。在语言理解的轻松感背后，是一套复杂的神经认知机制，它们必须协同工作，才能给我们带来丰富的语言体验。然而，这些系统并不总是万无一失的，可能会被误导，导致意想不到的解释或将格式错误的句子视为格式良好的句子。这些错误引发了所谓的“语言错觉”，正如视觉错觉改变了我们对视觉系统如何解释周围世界的理解一样，对语言错觉的系统研究可以改变我们对如何解释语言的理解。重要的是，通过研究我们是否会陷入语言错觉的条件，我们可以改进语言技术，提供更好的语言学习指导，并帮助评估认知障碍。 这个项目的目标是更好地了解语言错觉的范围和原因。目前的语言处理模型假设错觉是两个不同的认知系统的产物：一个是快速有效的交流系统（“解析器”），另一个是对语法进行分类的较慢的系统（“语法”）。另一种观点认为，错觉反映了嵌入在嘈杂的认知结构中的单一语法系统，这种结构为错误创造了机会。目前的项目通过使用行为和计算方法将研究扩展到更广泛的语言现象来解决这一争论，以更好地理解引发错觉的确切条件。该项目将告知我们对（i）语言的认知结构，（ii）编码，访问和操纵句子结构的心理机制，以及（iii）语法在句子处理中的作用的理解。该项目将对更广泛的科学界，通过项目资助的本科研究人员和公众产生直接影响。具体而言，该项目将把心理语言学研究中通常包括的参与者群体扩大到非大学生，从而对不同人群的语言能力进行更全面的研究，并将通过本科生培训靴子营、研究助理、该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Our ability to use and understand language in everyday conversation is a feat that seems to be accomplished both rapidly and effortlessly. Just as the impression that our visual interpretation of the world around us is robust and complete, our impression of language is similarly rich. Behind the perceived ease of language understanding is a complex set of neuro-cognitive mechanisms that must work in tandem to give us a rich linguistic experience. However, these systems are not always foolproof and can be misled, arriving at unintended interpretations or the perception of ill-formed sentences as if they were well-formed. These errors trigger what are known as "linguistic illusions", and just as visual illusions have transformed our understanding of how our visual system interprets the world around us, the systematic study of linguistic illusions can transform our understanding of how we interpret language. Importantly, by studying the conditions under which we do and do not fall for linguistic illusions, we can improve language technologies, provide better language learning instruction, and aid in assessments of cognitive impairments. The goal of this project is to better understand the scope and cause of linguistic illusions. Current language processing models assume that illusions are the product of two distinct cognitive systems: one system for fast, efficient communication (the 'parser'), and another, slower system that classifies grammaticality (the 'grammar'). A competing account claims that illusions reflect a single grammar system embedded in a noisy cognitive architecture that creates the opportunity for errors. The current project addresses this debate by extending research to a broader set of linguistic phenomena using behavioral and computational methods to better understand the exact conditions that trigger illusions. This project will inform our understanding of (i) the cognitive architecture of language, (ii) the mental mechanisms for encoding, accessing, and manipulating sentence structures, and (iii) the role of the grammar in sentence processing. The project will have a direct impact on the broader scientific community, the undergraduate researchers funded through project, and the general public. Specifically, the project will expand the pool of participants that are typically included in psycholinguistic studies to non-college students, leading to a more comprehensive study of linguistic abilities across populations, and will bridge research and education by providing meaningful research experiences to undergraduate researchers, including under-represented minorities, through undergraduate training boot camps, research assistantships, and outreach activities at K-12 schools.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.