Effects of age, animacy and activation order on sentence production

Authors: Altmann, Lori; Kemper, Susan

Source: Language and Cognitive Processes, Volume 21, Numbers 1-3, Numbers 1-3/January-April 2006 , pp. 322-354(33)

Publisher: Psychology Press, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

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Abstract:

The current study examines whether young and older adults have similar preferences for animate-subject and active sentences, and for using the order of activation of a verb's arguments to determine sentence structure. Ninety-six participants produced sentences in response to three-word stimuli that included a verb and two nouns differing in animacy. Dependent variables included accuracy, sentence structure produced, and production times for active vs. passive sentences. Neither group shows a strict preference for active sentences, but the two groups are differentially sensitive to animacy and the order of noun activation. Results suggest that sentence structure choice is a probabilistic, constraint-satisfaction process during which these factors interact.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0169096054400006

Affiliations: 1: University of Kansas, KS, USA

Publication date: 2006-01-01

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