Cog Sci Speaker Series: Uncovering patterns of semantic predictability in sentence processing
Presenter: Dr. Cassandra Jacobs
Title: Uncovering patterns of semantic predictability in sentence processing
Abstract: Human language processing functions at multiple levels. For instance, we can predict sounds, words, and where stories will go. In this talk, I introduce a computational approach to quantifying the semantic predictability of words in sentences. I show that semantic predictability, in addition to lexical predictability, can facilitate naming latencies in a serial cloze task. I then outline a model of probabilistic semantic retrieval in sentence processing that makes novel quantitative predictions about the role of semantics in comprehension, which I test in two new studies that evaluate the contribution of semantic prediction to reading and language comprehension fluency.
Bio: Dr. Cassandra Jacobs is an Assistant Professor at the University at Buffalo where they direct the Computational Linguistics and Cognition (CaLiCo) Lab. Their work uses computational modeling techniques building on natural language processing combined with behavioral experimentation to better understand human language processing, especially the processes of producing and comprehending words in sentences.
Event Snapshot
When and Where
Who
Open to the Public
| Cost | FREE |
Interpreter Requested?
Yes