Comprehension of Who and Which-NP questions: Which Account do the Data Support?

MacKenzie, Shannon Brooke and Love, Tracy and Gutierrez, Roberto and Walenski, Matthew and Shapiro, Lew (2013) Comprehension of Who and Which-NP questions: Which Account do the Data Support? [Clinical Aphasiology Paper]

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Abstract

This study investigated the comprehension of various types of Wh-questions in unimpaired adults and those with Broca’s aphasia. Using an eye tracking-while listening method, we examined four specific hypotheses. Our initial results for our healthy controls revealed offline support for a Word Order Hypothesis – object-extracted Who and Which-NP questions took longer to resolve than subject-extracted versions. Our results using eye gaze data, however, revealed support for a Retrieval Hypothesis – Which-NP questions that contain more specific information yielded fewer looks to the correct referent than their Who-question counterparts. These patterns set the stage for our ongoing aphasia study.

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