Editing Psycholinguistics (section)

====Reading====
{{Main|Reading}}
One question in the realm of language comprehension is how people understand sentences as they read (i.e., [[sentence processing]]). Experimental research has spawned several theories about the architecture and mechanisms of sentence comprehension. These theories are typically concerned with the types of information, contained in the sentence, that the reader can use to build meaning and the point at which that information becomes available to the reader. Issues such as "[[modularity of mind|modular]]" versus "interactive" processing have been theoretical divides in the field.

A modular view of sentence processing assumes that the stages involved in reading a sentence function independently as separate modules. These modules have limited interaction with one another. For example, one influential theory of sentence processing, the "[[Garden-path sentence|garden-path theory]]", states that syntactic analysis takes place first. Under this theory, as the reader is reading a sentence, he or she creates the simplest structure possible, to minimize effort and cognitive load.<ref>{{cite journal|vauthors=Frazier L, Rayner K|year=1982|title=Making and correcting errors during sentence comprehension: Eye movements in the analysis of structurally ambiguous sentences|journal=Cognitive Psychology|volume=14|issue=2|pages=178–210|doi=10.1016/0010-0285(82)90008-1|s2cid=54407337}}</ref> This is done without any input from [[Semantic analysis (linguistics)|semantic analysis]] or context-dependent information. Hence, in the sentence "The evidence examined by the lawyer turned out to be unreliable", by the time the reader gets to the word "examined" he or she has committed to a reading of the sentence in which the evidence is examining something because it is the simplest parsing. This commitment is made even though it results in an implausible situation: evidence cannot examine something. Under this "syntax first" theory, semantic information is processed at a later stage. It is only later that the reader will recognize that he or she needs to revise the initial parsing into one in which "the evidence" is being examined. In this example, readers typically recognize their mistake by the time they reach "by the lawyer" and must go back and reevaluate the sentence.<ref>{{cite journal | title=The interaction of syntax and semantics during sentence processing: Eye movements in the analysis of semantically biased sentences | vauthors = Rayner K, Carlson M, Frazier L | journal=Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior | volume=22 |issue=3 | pages=358–374 | year=1983 | doi=10.1016/s0022-5371(83)90236-0}}</ref> This reanalysis is costly and contributes to slower reading times. A 2024 study found that during self-paced reading tasks, participants progressively read faster and recalled information more accurately, suggesting that task adaptation is driven by learning processes rather than by declining motivation.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Chromý |first=Jan |last2=Tomaschek |first2=Fabian |date=2024-12-15 |title=Learning or Boredom? Task Adaptation Effects in Sentence Processing Experiments |url=https://direct.mit.edu/opmi/article/doi/10.1162/opmi_a_00173/125744/Learning-or-Boredom-Task-Adaptation-Effects-in |journal=Open Mind |volume=8 |pages=1447–1468 |doi=10.1162/opmi_a_00173 |issn=2470-2986|pmc=11666283 }}</ref>

In contrast to the modular view, an interactive theory of sentence processing, such as a [[Constraint-based grammar|constraint-based]] lexical approach assumes that all available information contained within a sentence can be processed at any time.<ref>{{cite journal|vauthors=Trueswell J, Tanenhaus M|year=1994|title=Toward a lexical framework of constraint-based syntactic ambiguity resolution|journal=Perspectives on Sentence Processing|pages=155–179}}</ref> Under an interactive view, the semantics of a sentence (such as plausibility) can come into play early on to help determine the structure of a sentence. Hence, in the sentence above, the reader would be able to make use of plausibility information in order to assume that "the evidence" is being examined instead of doing the examining. There are data to support both modular and interactive views; which view is correct is debatable.

When reading, [[saccade]]s can cause the mind to skip over words because it does not see them as important to the sentence, and the mind completely omits it from the sentence or supplies the wrong word in its stead. This can be seen in "Paris in the{{nbsp}}the Spring". This is a common psychological test, where the mind will often skip the second "the", especially when there is a line break in between the two.<ref>Drieghe, D., K. Rayner, and A. Pollatsek. 2005. "Eye movements and word skipping during reading revisited." ''[[Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance]]'' 31(5). p. 954.</ref>