Dual Mechanism Theory

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The dual mechanism theory is an explanatory approach in psycholinguistics for mental processing of morphological processes.

A point of contention in psycholinguistic research into human language processing is whether morphological systems of rules, as used in theoretical linguistics to describe languages, exist as cognitive processes. This was prominently discussed using the example of the past broadcast in the English language. The dual mechanism theory, represented u. a. by Steven Pinker , assumes that the past ending -ed is attached orthographically or [d] phonologically to regular English verbs or a morphologically complex form is broken down into its morphemes during language processing. Irregular verbs, on the other hand, are represented in a network as linked full forms of the respective grammatical tense, so that two different processing patterns exist for regular and irregular verbs. Evidence for this was seen in studies that found priming for regular verbs and weak or no priming for irregular verbs in experiments.

The standpoint of dual mechanism theory is challenged by connectionist theories that there is a processing mechanism for irregulars and regulars. Evidence for this was found in studies (e.g. Kielar and Joanisse, 2013) which found priming effects graded according to size for regular, semi-irregular (sleep-slept) and irregular.

literature

  • Aneta Kielar and Marc F. Joanisse, 2013, Graded Effects of Regularity in Language Revealed by N400 Indices of Morphological Priming
  • Pinker, S. (1998). Words and rules. Lingua, 106, 219-242.
  • Marcus, GF, Brinkmann, U., Clahsen, H., Wiese, R., & Pinker, S. (1995). German inflection: The exception that proves the rule. Cognitive Psychology, 29, 189-256