Psycholinguistics and Neurolinguistics Commons^™

Ctrl + Alt + Inner Speech: A Verbal–Cognitive Scaffold (Vcs) Model Of Pathways To Computational Thinking, Daisuke Akiba

Publications and Research

This theoretical paper introduces the Verbal–Cognitive Scaffold (VCS) Model, a cognitively inclusive framework which proposes the cognitive architectures underlying computational thinking (CT). Moving beyond monolithic theories of cognition (e.g., executive-function and metacognitive control models), the VCS Model posits inner speech (InSp) as the predominant cognitive pathway supporting CT operations in neurotypical populations. Synthesizing interdisciplinary scholarship across cognitive science, computational theory, neurodiversity research, and others, this framework articulates distinct mechanisms through which InSp supports CT. The model specifies four primary pathways linking InSp to CT components: verbal working memory supporting decomposition, symbolic representation facilitating pattern recognition and abstraction, sequential processing enabling …

Investigating The Relationship Between Noun Classes And Plant Folk Taxonomy In Chasu Language Of Kilimanjaro Region In Tanzania, Peter Rabson Mziray

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The current study investigates the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu (G 22). The study focuses on two objectives: the first objective is to describe the plant folk taxonomy in Chasu and the second objective is to determine the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu. Data were collected from rural villages in Same and Mwanga districts by using free listing, field interviews (jungle-walk-and-identify), and written texts containing Chasu plant names. The findings reveal that Chasu folk taxonomy reflects different ethnobotanical categories; including a unique beginner which is mmea/mimea ‘plant(s)’, and three life …

The Salience Of Function Words In Implicit Statistical Linguistic Learning: An Erp Investigation, Daniel M. Schwartz

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Research has indicated that children and adults can implicitly learn language patterns; however, questions still remain regarding the role and nature of implicit learning, particularly of sequential patterns. Implicit statistical learning is a type of unconscious learning of sequential patterns, which may be especially relevant to phrase structure learning. Prior studies have highlighted the differential processing of function words (FWs), such as determiners, relative to content and nonsense words and have also pointed to particular neural response patterns (specifically, Anterior Negativity, or AN) to early syntactic violations. To date, there is relatively little work directly investigating the role of FWs …

Processing Of Diphthongs By Turkish English Bilinguals: An Erp Study, Ecem Kopuz

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study examines how native phonological experience influences the brain’s response to speech sounds in Turkish-English late bilinguals and English monolinguals. We asked whether neural responses reflecting encoding of auditory information would be sensitive to language specific experience. Using event-related potentials (ERPs), and specifically, the Acoustic Change Complex (ACC) we measured neural responses to four stimuli, /u/, /ua/, /iu/, and /ia/, where vowel quality changes for three of these. A change from /u/ to /a/ or /i/ to /a/ within a syllable (as in [ua] and [ia]) represents a clear vowel quality shift. All participants were expected to show sensitivity …

Usage Of Natural Language Processing And Deep-Learning Techniques On Thematic Apperception Tests To Predict Big Five Personality Traits, Blayten Jones

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

The usage of personality as a method of behavioral prediction and outcomes of success has grown considerably over the last few decades. This project explores predicting user personality profiles via the Big Five personality index through the integration of advanced natural language processing techniques as well as neural networks. Using a dataset provided by Dr. James W. Pennebaker, participants analyze an image—formally referred to as a thematic apperception test—and write a thorough paragraph describing the details. This free-form text, along with their personality test results, is captured in a structured dataset. Many deep-learning and machine learning models have been used …

Phonetic Convergence And Speech Intelligibility, Kinza Nadeem Mughal

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Previous studies have indicated that phonetic convergence, in which a listener’s speech aligns with the speech of a talker they hear, can influence speech perception. The present study replicated and extended these findings by investigating whether phonetic convergence can facilitate speech intelligibility. A total of N = 140 participants, all aged 18 or older and native English speakers, completed a speech shadowing task, a speech intelligibility test, and perceptual similarity tests. This study examined whether individuals better understand their own speech compared to others’, whether shadowing improves speech intelligibility, and whether phonetic convergence is positively related to intelligibility. Results supported …

Articulation As A Predictor Of Cognitive Decline, Sarah G. Hammons

Senior Theses

Background: Speech production is facilitated by motor neural networks that are proximal to neural substrates of general cognitive functions in the frontal lobe. However, the precise relationship between these brain networks supporting articulatory control and more general cognitive functioning has not been determined. A relation may be expected due to the anatomical proximity of specific networks, or due to more global aspects of brain health in individuals, affecting cognitive and motor functions across the board. Lower motor function is expected to affect the stability of speech production, but the extent to which this is also associated with lower cognitive functioning …

Unifying Comprehension And Competence Through Merge: A New Linking Hypothesis Connecting Electrophysiological Data To Linguistic Intuitions, Kevin Patrck Guzzo

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation integrates neuroscience and linguistics to investigate the cognitive mechanisms underlying syntactic processing. To do this, we focus on Early Syntactic Negativities (ESNs) which are rapid negative electrophysiological responses known to be elicited by phrase structure violations due to an unexpected lexical category. We examine ESNs elicited in two previously undocumented elliptical constructions, sluicing and swiping, employing event-related potentials (ERPs) and behavioral acceptability judgments. Our investigation builds upon Collins and Stabler’s (2016) formalization of minimalist syntax, proposing a novel Merge Hypothesis of ESNs. This hypothesis posits a direct link between ESNs and violations of the Merge operation, a fundamental …

Quantifying The Individual Bilingual Experience Through A Lens Of Language Dominance, Leeann Stover

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This article-based dissertation addresses some of the issues regarding the multifaceted nature of bi/multilingualism, focusing on the significance of individual variation in the measurement of language dominance. While age of later-acquired languages has traditionally been used to classify bilingual speakers into early and late bilinguals, the construct of language dominance has emerged as an additional criterion of classification. However, despite its utility in capturing dimensions of language experience beyond age of acquisition, the construct of language dominance has its own challenges of measurement and individual variation.

This dissertation focuses on two open-ended challenges in the quantification of language dominance: how …

The Emotional Landscape Of Aviation Pilots: Analysis Of Online Professional Forums Using Natural Language Processing, Adrienne S. Renwick, Leo Gonzalez, Charles L. Silber, Alyson Mullen, Cass Dykeman, Adam Stewart, Jennifer C. Ross, James Geisler

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

This study investigated burnout related to emotions in three categories of pilots: commercial passenger, commercial cargo, and military. While pilot burnout has been previously studied, challenges in self-reporting limit understanding. This study extends previous research by analyzing pilots' anonymous online forum posts to gain insight into burnout-related emotions. Natural Language Processing was conducted with the RoBERTa-base-go_emotions model, which analyzed 1,130,530 online forum posts from commercial passengers, commercial cargo, and military pilots for 27 emotion categories and one absence of emotion category (i.e., neutral). An exploratory composite score reflecting burnout-related emotional expression omnibus burnout score was calculated using seven burnout-related emotions …

Cognate Facilitation And Processing In English-Speaking Learners Of German, Kaitlin L. Young

Theses and Dissertations--Linguistics

Within the field of second language acquisition, research finds that increased exposure to input results in improved proficiency, especially when those activities are challenging yet manageable for the language learner’s current level. Because of this, listening exercises and speech processing are considered integral to language acquisition, even leading to recommendations of frequent, authentic use of the target language (TL). Instructors’ TL authenticity is, however, sometimes stunted by the demand for comprehensible input and facilitation of classroom activities; they make use of simpler syntax, stronger enunciation, and more cognates (words sharing origins, meanings, and form across languages) than in casual speech. …