Periodic fluctuations in reading times reflect multi-word-chunking
Abstract Memory is fleeting. To avoid information loss, humans need to recode verbal stimuli into chunks of limited duration, each containing multiple words. Chunk duration may also be limited neurally by the wavelength of periodic brain activity, so-called neural oscillations. While both cognitive...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-45536-y |
| _version_ | 1797647259127513088 |
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| author | Chia-Wen Lo Mark Anderson Lena Henke Lars Meyer |
| author_facet | Chia-Wen Lo Mark Anderson Lena Henke Lars Meyer |
| author_sort | Chia-Wen Lo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Memory is fleeting. To avoid information loss, humans need to recode verbal stimuli into chunks of limited duration, each containing multiple words. Chunk duration may also be limited neurally by the wavelength of periodic brain activity, so-called neural oscillations. While both cognitive and neural constraints predict some degree of behavioral regularity in processing, this remains to be shown. Our analysis of self-paced reading data from 181 participants reveals periodic patterns at a frequency of $$\sim$$ ∼ 2 Hz. We defined multi-word chunks by using a computational formalization based on dependency annotations and part-of-speech tags. Potential chunk outputs were first generated from the computational formalization and the final chunk outputs were selected based on normalized pointwise mutual information. We show that behavioral periodicity is time-aligned to multi-word chunks, suggesting that the multi-word chunks generated from local dependency clusters may minimize memory demands. This is the first evidence that sentence processing behavior is periodic, consistent with a role of both memory constraints and endogenous electrophysiological rhythms in the formation of chunks during language comprehension. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T15:14:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5a8af9248d1d4fecb36311605d78654a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T15:14:43Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-5a8af9248d1d4fecb36311605d78654a2023-10-29T12:23:51ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-10-0113111010.1038/s41598-023-45536-yPeriodic fluctuations in reading times reflect multi-word-chunkingChia-Wen Lo0Mark Anderson1Lena Henke2Lars Meyer3Research Group Language Cycles, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain SciencesNorwegian Computing CenterResearch Group Language Cycles, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain SciencesResearch Group Language Cycles, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain SciencesAbstract Memory is fleeting. To avoid information loss, humans need to recode verbal stimuli into chunks of limited duration, each containing multiple words. Chunk duration may also be limited neurally by the wavelength of periodic brain activity, so-called neural oscillations. While both cognitive and neural constraints predict some degree of behavioral regularity in processing, this remains to be shown. Our analysis of self-paced reading data from 181 participants reveals periodic patterns at a frequency of $$\sim$$ ∼ 2 Hz. We defined multi-word chunks by using a computational formalization based on dependency annotations and part-of-speech tags. Potential chunk outputs were first generated from the computational formalization and the final chunk outputs were selected based on normalized pointwise mutual information. We show that behavioral periodicity is time-aligned to multi-word chunks, suggesting that the multi-word chunks generated from local dependency clusters may minimize memory demands. This is the first evidence that sentence processing behavior is periodic, consistent with a role of both memory constraints and endogenous electrophysiological rhythms in the formation of chunks during language comprehension.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-45536-y |
| spellingShingle | Chia-Wen Lo Mark Anderson Lena Henke Lars Meyer Periodic fluctuations in reading times reflect multi-word-chunking Scientific Reports |
| title | Periodic fluctuations in reading times reflect multi-word-chunking |
| title_full | Periodic fluctuations in reading times reflect multi-word-chunking |
| title_fullStr | Periodic fluctuations in reading times reflect multi-word-chunking |
| title_full_unstemmed | Periodic fluctuations in reading times reflect multi-word-chunking |
| title_short | Periodic fluctuations in reading times reflect multi-word-chunking |
| title_sort | periodic fluctuations in reading times reflect multi word chunking |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-45536-y |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT chiawenlo periodicfluctuationsinreadingtimesreflectmultiwordchunking AT markanderson periodicfluctuationsinreadingtimesreflectmultiwordchunking AT lenahenke periodicfluctuationsinreadingtimesreflectmultiwordchunking AT larsmeyer periodicfluctuationsinreadingtimesreflectmultiwordchunking |