talking about objects

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Talking about Objects Jason Kahn & Jennifer E. Arnold UNC – Chapel Hill Amlap

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Talking about Objects. Jason Kahn & Jennifer E. Arnold UNC – Chapel Hill Amlap. Did you get the reading group organized for this semester yet?. Did you get the reading group organized for this semester yet?. You wanted a reading group this semester, too?. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Page 1: Talking about Objects

Talking about Objects

Jason Kahn & Jennifer E. ArnoldUNC – Chapel Hill

Amlap

Page 2: Talking about Objects

Did you get the reading group organized for this semester yet?

Page 3: Talking about Objects

Did you get the reading group organized for this semester yet?

You wanted a reading group this semester, too?

Page 4: Talking about Objects

Did you get the reading group organized for this semester yet?

You wanted a reading group this semester, too?

Page 5: Talking about Objects

Why does “reading group” get reduced?

• Givenness Explanations • Probability Explanations

Page 6: Talking about Objects

Why does “reading group” get reduced?

• Givenness Explanations– Uttered words become

given in a discourse (Prince 1992)

– Given information has a different discourse status/representation (Halliday 1967)

– Given discourse information gets reduced on subsequent mention (Fowler & Housum, 1987)

• Probability Explanations

Page 7: Talking about Objects

Why does “reading group” get reduced?

• Givenness Explanations– Uttered words become

given in a discourse (Prince 1992)

– Given information has a different discourse status/representation (Halliday 1967)

– Given discourse information gets reduced on subsequent mention (Fowler & Housum, 1987)

• Probability Explanations– Context increases the

probability of mentioning a word

– Highly probable words get reduced (Bell et al., 2009)

– Words that convey little information also get reduced (Levy & Jaeger 2007)

Page 8: Talking about Objects

Well, what kind of reading group did you want?

[Reading group]

Bard & Aylett 2004; Brown-Schmidt 2009

Page 9: Talking about Objects

Cognitive Mechanisms for Reduction

Adapted from Levelt 1989

Page 10: Talking about Objects

Cognitive Mechanisms for Reduction

Givenness

Page 11: Talking about Objects

Cognitive Mechanisms for Reduction

Givenness

•Facilitation•Pre-planning

Page 12: Talking about Objects

Cognitive Mechanisms for Reduction

Givenness

•Facilitation•Pre-planning

Probability

Page 13: Talking about Objects

Cognitive Mechanisms for Reduction

Givenness

•Facilitation•Pre-planning

Probability

•Associative facilitation•Pre-planning

Page 14: Talking about Objects

Cognitive Mechanisms for Reduction

Givenness

Probability

(Arnold, 1998; Givón, 1983; Tily & Piantodosi, 2009)

Page 15: Talking about Objects

Facilitation-Based Reduction

• Any stimulus that activates representations that are used for language production should lead to some measurable amount of reduction. This includes probability, givenness, and their combination.

Page 16: Talking about Objects

Novel Predictions

• Referential events should “count” for reduction

Page 17: Talking about Objects

Novel Predictions

• Referential events should “count” for reduction

• We should observe reduction from non-linguistic information

Page 18: Talking about Objects

Novel Predictions

• Referential events should “count” for reduction

• We should observe reduction from non-linguistic information

• We should observe a difference between linguistic and non-linguistic information

Page 19: Talking about Objects

Linguistically Given

Non-linguistically (conceptually)

Given Predictable

Linguistic

Non-linguistic

Control

X

Experimental Layout (Exp 1)

XXX

Page 20: Talking about Objects

Linguistically Given

Non-linguistically (conceptually)

Given Predictable

Linguistic

Non-linguistic

Control

X

Non-linguistic Stimuli Should Elicit Reduction

XXX

Page 21: Talking about Objects

Linguistically Given

Non-linguistically (conceptually)

Given Predictable

Linguistic

Non-linguistic

Control

X

Linguistic Stimuli Should Elicit More Reduction

XXX

Page 22: Talking about Objects

Linguistically Given

Non-linguistically (conceptually)

Given Predictable

Linguistic

Non-linguistic

Control

X

XXX

We Will Return to Predictability

Page 23: Talking about Objects

Instruction-giving Task

Speaker Listener

Page 24: Talking about Objects

Speaker Listener

Move

Page 25: Talking about Objects

Speaker Listener

“The accordion rotates right”

Move

Page 26: Talking about Objects

Speaker Listener

“The accordion rotates right”

x 3

Move

Page 27: Talking about Objects

Speaker Listener

“The toothbrush. The belt. The accordion.”

Move

Page 28: Talking about Objects

Speaker Listener

“The accordion rotates right”

“The toothbrush. The belt. The accordion.”

Move

Page 29: Talking about Objects

Speaker Listener

“The accordion rotates right”

x 3

Move

Page 30: Talking about Objects

Speaker Listener

Move

Page 31: Talking about Objects

Speaker Listener

“The accordion rotates right”

Move

Page 32: Talking about Objects

Speaker Listener

“The accordion rotates right”

x 3

Move

Page 33: Talking about Objects

1)Or… Or…

Page 34: Talking about Objects

1)

2)

Or… Or…

Page 35: Talking about Objects

“[Onset] The toothbrush shrinks.”

1)

2)

3)

Or… Or…

Page 36: Talking about Objects

“[Onset] The toothbrush shrinks.”

1)

2)

3)

4)

Or… Or…

Page 37: Talking about Objects

“[Onset] The toothbrush shrinks.”

“[Onset] The belt expands.”

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

Or… Or…

Page 38: Talking about Objects

“[Onset] The toothbrush shrinks.”

“[Onset] The belt expands.”

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

6)

Or… Or…

Page 39: Talking about Objects

“[Onset] The toothbrush shrinks.”

“[Onset] The belt expands.”

“[Onset] The accordion rotates right.”

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

6)

7)

Or… Or…

Page 40: Talking about Objects

Analysis

• Multi-level Modeled– Information condition (ling, non-ling, control)– Control variables (syllables, imageability, etc.)– Random intercept for subject and item (cross-classified)

Page 41: Talking about Objects

Reduced Onset DurationLinguistic = Non-linguistic < Control

Third Instruction: “[Onset] the accordion rotates right”

*

Page 42: Talking about Objects

Reduced Object DurationLinguistic < Non-linguistic < Control

Third instruction: “[Onset] the accordion shrinks”

*

*

Page 43: Talking about Objects

Linguistically Given

Non-linguistically (conceptually)

Given Predictable

Linguistic

Non-linguistic

Control

X

Non-linguistic Stimuli Elicited Reduction

XXX

Page 44: Talking about Objects

Linguistically Given

Non-linguistically (conceptually)

Given Predictable

Linguistic

Non-linguistic

Control

X

Linguistic Stimuli Elicited More Reduction

XXX

Page 45: Talking about Objects

Cognitive Mechanisms for Reduction

Givenness Predictability

Page 46: Talking about Objects

Cognitive Mechanisms for Reduction

Givenness Predictability

Page 47: Talking about Objects

Linguistically Given

Non-linguistically (conceptually)

Given Predictable

Linguistic

Non-linguistic

Control

X

Predictability May (partly) Produce This Effect

XXX

See also Lam & Watson 2009

Page 48: Talking about Objects

Linguistically Given

Non-linguistically (conceptually)

Given Predictable

Linguistic

Non-linguistic

Control

X

Experimental Layout (Exp 2)

X

X

XXX

Page 49: Talking about Objects

Experiment 2: Is Predictability Necessary?

• Reduce the number of instructions per trial to one

• Vastly reduce the validity of the prime – the object that gets primed is the object that moves only 12.5% (1/8th) of the time

• Changed the relationship between the experimental and control condition

7/8:1/8:

Page 50: Talking about Objects

Linguistic

Non-linguistic

Experimental Layout (Exp 2)

Primed Unprimed

Page 51: Talking about Objects

Linguistic

Non-linguistic

Experimental Layout (Exp 2)

Primed Unprimed

Page 52: Talking about Objects

Reduced Object Duration (Ling. Only)Given < Not Given

“[Onset] the accordion shrinks”

*

“The accordion”

“The heart”

Page 53: Talking about Objects

Given < Not Given

“[Onset] the accordion shrinks”

(Numerically) Reduced Object Duration

Page 54: Talking about Objects

Linguistic

Non-linguistic

Experimental Layout (Exp 2)

?

*

Primed Unprimed

Page 55: Talking about Objects

Cognitive Mechanisms for Reduction

Givenness Predictability

Non-linguisticpredictabilitymay be necessary

Page 56: Talking about Objects

Cognitive Mechanisms for Reduction

Givenness Predictability

LinguisticpredictabilityIs not necessary

Non-linguisticpredictabilitymay be necessary

Page 57: Talking about Objects

Cognitive Mechanisms for Reduction

Givenness Predictability

LinguisticpredictabilityIs not necessary

Non-linguisticpredictabilitymay be necessary

…but it may help planning

Page 58: Talking about Objects

Facilitation-Based Reduction• Referential event information can

affect reduction (linguistic or not)

• Non-linguistic information can elicit reduction

• Linguistic information elicits more reduction (suggesting a facilitation effect)

• Predictability does not appear to be necessary for reduction in all cases

Page 59: Talking about Objects

Facilitation-Based Reduction• Referential event information can

affect reduction (linguistic or not)

• Non-linguistic information can elicit reduction

• Linguistic information elicits more reduction (suggesting a facilitation effect)

• Predictability does not appear to be necessary for reduction in all cases

Page 60: Talking about Objects

Facilitation-Based Reduction• Referential event information can

affect reduction (linguistic or not)

• Non-linguistic information can elicit reduction

• Linguistic information elicits more reduction (suggesting a facilitation effect)

• Predictability does not appear to be necessary for reduction in all cases

Page 61: Talking about Objects

Well, what kind of reading group did you want?

[Reading group]

Page 62: Talking about Objects

Acknowledgements

• Kellen Carpenter and Giulia Pancani (our lab managers), Jennifer Tait, Alyssa Ventimiglia, Leighanne McGill (our RA’s)

• The Cognitive Department at UNC, whose comments have sharpened our focus here

• NSF BCS-0745627 to Jennifer E. Arnold