Plausibility and perspective influence the processing of counterfactual narratives
Plausibility and perspective influence the processing of counterfactual narratives
Previous research has established that readers’ eye movements are sensitive to the difficulty with which a word is processed. One important factor that influences processing is the fit of a word within the wider context, including its plausibility. Here we explore the influence of plausibility in counterfactual language processing. Counterfactuals describe hypothetical versions of the world but are grounded in the implication that the described events are not true. We report an eye-tracking study that examined the processing of counterfactual premises that varied the plausibility of a described action and manipulated the narrative perspective (“you” vs. “he/she”). Results revealed a comparable pattern to previous plausibility experiments. Readers were sensitive to the inconsistent thematic relation in anomalous and implausible conditions. The fact that these anomaly detection effects were evident within a counterfactual frame suggests that participants were evaluating incoming information within the counterfactual world and did not suspend processing based on an inference about reality. Interestingly, perspective modulated the speed with which anomalous but not implausible words were detected.
Ferguson, Heather J.
6556e9be-f707-49af-99de-98ce2577bd9b
Jayes, Lewis T.
09a32c04-4633-4963-aff4-0cf3cc20eca3
Ferguson, Heather J.
6556e9be-f707-49af-99de-98ce2577bd9b
Jayes, Lewis T.
09a32c04-4633-4963-aff4-0cf3cc20eca3
Ferguson, Heather J. and Jayes, Lewis T.
(2017)
Plausibility and perspective influence the processing of counterfactual narratives.
Discourse Processes.
(doi:10.1080/0163853X.2017.1330032).
Abstract
Previous research has established that readers’ eye movements are sensitive to the difficulty with which a word is processed. One important factor that influences processing is the fit of a word within the wider context, including its plausibility. Here we explore the influence of plausibility in counterfactual language processing. Counterfactuals describe hypothetical versions of the world but are grounded in the implication that the described events are not true. We report an eye-tracking study that examined the processing of counterfactual premises that varied the plausibility of a described action and manipulated the narrative perspective (“you” vs. “he/she”). Results revealed a comparable pattern to previous plausibility experiments. Readers were sensitive to the inconsistent thematic relation in anomalous and implausible conditions. The fact that these anomaly detection effects were evident within a counterfactual frame suggests that participants were evaluating incoming information within the counterfactual world and did not suspend processing based on an inference about reality. Interestingly, perspective modulated the speed with which anomalous but not implausible words were detected.
Text
Count_Plaus_ET_16th Nov - LTJ
- Accepted Manuscript
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e-pub ahead of print date: 12 July 2017
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 415025
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/415025
ISSN: 0163-853X
PURE UUID: de1ec70a-fc85-491c-87ab-3a2770e54162
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Date deposited: 20 Oct 2017 16:32
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 05:35
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Author:
Heather J. Ferguson
Author:
Lewis T. Jayes
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