Cognitive Models of Language Comprehension

Abstract

As people read or listen to sentences, how do they actually comprehend what is being said? Cognitive models of human parsing are possible answers to this question.

This talk presents a general way to connect these models with behavioral and neural data. It develops the view that human language is both a structural system that has a grammar, as well as a communication channel that is subject to information theory.

This view makes it explicit what is that comprehenders are expecting as they listen, and highlights an important role for linguistics in interdisciplinary cognitive science.

*NOTE: Different day/time/location than usual*