Data_Sheet_1_Pronouns Are as Sensitive to Structural Constraints as Reflexives in Early Processing: Evidence From Visual World Paradigm Eye-Tracking.PDF

A number of studies in the extant literature report findings that suggest asymmetry in the way reflexive and pronoun anaphors are interpreted in the early stages of processing: that pronouns are less sensitive to structural constraints, as formulated by Binding Theory, than reflexives, in the initial antecedent retrieval process. However, in previous visual world paradigm eye-tracking studies, these conclusions were based on sentences that placed the critical anaphors within picture noun phrases or prepositional phrases, which have independently been shown not to neatly conform to the Binding Theory principles. We present results from a visual world paradigm eye-tracking experiment that show that when critical anaphors are placed in the indirect object position immediately following a verb as a recipient argument, pronoun and reflexive processing are equally sensitive to structural constraints.

现有文献中的多项研究均报告了相关发现，表明在语言加工的早期阶段，反身代词与代词照应语的阐释路径存在不对称性：在初始先行词检索过程中，代词相较于反身代词，对约束理论(Binding Theory)所界定的结构约束的敏感度更低。然而，既往视觉世界范式(visual world paradigm)眼动追踪(eye-tracking)研究中，此类结论的推导均基于将关键照应语置于图画名词短语或介词短语中的句子，而已有独立研究证实，这类短语无法完全契合约束理论的各项原则。本研究呈现了一项视觉世界范式眼动追踪实验的研究结果，该实验显示，当关键照应语处于动词后直接充当受体论元的间接宾语位置时，代词与反身代词的加工对结构约束的敏感度并无显著差异。