Imagine reading a sentence and trying to figure out who the main character is. Most languages tend to assume that the person performing the action, the ‘agent’, comes first. However, a new study in Äiwoo, a language that prioritizes patients before agents, challenges this assumption. Using electroencephalography (EEG), researchers found that when nonhuman nouns were ambiguously placed at the beginning of a sentence, participants initially interpreted them as patients. This caused a negative response when the sentence was disambiguated toward the less common agent-first order. On the other hand, when human nouns were ambiguously placed, participants initially interpreted them as agents, resulting in a similar negative response when disambiguation favored patient-first order. Interestingly, for human referents, the agent bias persisted regardless of usage frequency, suggesting it may be an inherent property of language comprehension. However, frequency experience could reverse this bias for nonhuman referents. This study sheds light on how our brains process language and challenges previous assumptions about sentence comprehension. Dive into the details by exploring the full article!
Abstract
The language comprehension system preferentially assumes that agents come first during incremental processing. While this might reflect a biologically fixed bias, shared with other domains and other species, the evidence is limited to languages that place agents first, and so the bias could also be learned from usage frequency. Here, we probe the bias with electroencephalography (EEG) in Äiwoo, a language that by default places patients first, but where sentence-initial nouns are still locally ambiguous between patient or agent roles. Comprehenders transiently interpreted nonhuman nouns as patients, eliciting a negativity when disambiguation was toward the less common agent-initial order. By contrast and against frequencies, human nouns were transiently interpreted as agents, eliciting an N400-like negativity when the disambiguation was toward patient-initial order. Consistent with the notion of a fixed property, the agent bias is robust against usage frequency for human referents. However, this bias can be reversed by frequency experience for nonhuman referents.
Dr. David Lowemann, M.Sc, Ph.D., is a co-founder of the Institute for the Future of Human Potential, where he leads the charge in pioneering Self-Enhancement Science for the Success of Society. With a keen interest in exploring the untapped potential of the human mind, Dr. Lowemann has dedicated his career to pushing the boundaries of human capabilities and understanding.
Armed with a Master of Science degree and a Ph.D. in his field, Dr. Lowemann has consistently been at the forefront of research and innovation, delving into ways to optimize human performance, cognition, and overall well-being. His work at the Institute revolves around a profound commitment to harnessing cutting-edge science and technology to help individuals lead more fulfilling and intelligent lives.
Dr. Lowemann’s influence extends to the educational platform BetterSmarter.me, where he shares his insights, findings, and personal development strategies with a broader audience. His ongoing mission is shaping the way we perceive and leverage the vast capacities of the human mind, offering invaluable contributions to society’s overall success and collective well-being.