Editing Singular they (section)

==Cognitive efficiency==
A study of whether "singular ''they''" is more "difficult" to understand than gendered pronouns found that "singular ''they'' is a cognitively efficient substitute for generic ''he'' or ''she'', particularly when the antecedent is nonreferential" (e.g. ''anybody'', ''a nurse'', or ''a truck driver'') rather than referring to a specific person (e.g. ''a runner I knew'' or ''my nurse''). Clauses with singular ''they'' were read "just as quickly as clauses containing a gendered pronoun that matched the stereotype of the antecedent" (e.g. ''she'' for a nurse and ''he'' for a truck driver) and "much more quickly than clauses containing a gendered pronoun that went against the gender stereotype of the antecedent".{{sfn|Foertsch|Gernsbacher|1997}}

On the other hand, when the pronoun ''they'' was used to refer to known individuals ("referential antecedents, for which the gender was presumably known", e.g. ''my nurse'', ''that truck driver'', ''a runner I knew''), reading was slowed when compared with use of a gendered pronoun consistent with the "stereotypic gender" (e.g. ''he'' for a specific truck driver).{{sfn|Foertsch|Gernsbacher|1997}}

The study concluded that "the increased use of singular ''they'' is not problematic for the majority of readers".{{sfn|Foertsch|Gernsbacher|1997}}

A 2024 study by Arnold, Venkatesh, and Vig stated that two-thirds of people used an incorrect pronoun at least once in speaking about someone who used singular ''they'', versus never when speaking about someone who used ''he'' or ''she'', suggesting that singular ''they'' caused some difficulty, but the rate of errors was low (9%). They wrote that whereas people may repeat a name to avoid using the pronoun ''they'' in writing, in speech people used singular ''they'' at least as frequently as binary pronouns, "suggesting that any difficulty does not result in pronoun avoidance" in speech.{{sfn|Arnold|Venkatesh|Vig|2024}}