Poster by Abeer Assi and Prof. Aya Meltzer-Asscher

Does functional relationship between referents in a sentence affect encoding interference?

(Presented at ISCOP 2025)

Abstract:

Similarity-based interference is well-known to impair serial list call. Such interference was also observed in sentence processing. For instance, sentences with two noun phrases (NPs) with an overlapping feature (e.g. feminine in the Hebrew equivalent of 1) give rise to lower comprehension rates compared to sentences with differently gendered NPs.

(1) The tourist.FEM hired the guide.FEM that the locals annoyed. 

Unrelated work in visual processing shows that interacting object pairs (e.g., a pitcher pouring into a glass) are identified more easily than non-interacting pairs. Building on these findings, we investigated whether the advantage of interacting elements applies to sentence processing. Specifically, we examined whether interference from overlapping features in sentences is reduced when the referents of the NPs are perceived as interacting. Two experiments on Hebrew object relative clauses as in (1) tested this hypothesis. In Experiment 1, we manipulated the preceding context sentence (with scenarios including the tourist and the guide interacting vs. noninteracting). The manipulation did not significantly affect comprehension accuracy. In Experiment 2, we manipulated event type directly within sentences, contrasting sentences such as (1), which include events where the two referents interact, with sentences such as (2), where the two do not interact. 

(2) The tourist.FEM left after the guide.FEM that the locals annoyed. 

The results showed that interacting events improved accuracy, particularly in sentences with gender-matching NPs. These results suggest that encoding interference may be mitigated when the NPs are part of a mutual interaction, likely due to enhanced sentence coherence or stronger conceptual representations.

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