违实条件句前件小句语义表征加工机制的ERP研究

An ERP Study on the Semantic Processing Mechanism of the Antecedent of Chinese Counterfactual Conditionals

本研究采用ERP技术,通过操纵汉语违实条件句和因果条件句前件小句中语义信息与语境信息的一致性,对违实条件句前件小句语义表征加工的时间进程进行了考察。研究发现:1)在句首连词位置,“要是”比“因为”引发了更大的P3a成分和P600成分;2)在前件小句句中动词位置,语境不一致条件引发了更大的P600成分;3)在前件小句句末名词位置,在因果条件句中,语境不一致条件比一致条件诱发了更大的N400成分,而在违实条件句中该效应并未出现。结果表明,读者对汉语违实条件句前件小句中语义表征的加工分为三个阶段:首先,假设连词“要是”作为违实成分,引发了违实语境的建立;之后,读者建构并加工假设表征;最后读者建构起事实表征,并对假设表征和事实表征共同加工。本研究支持并扩展了双重表征理论。

Employing ERP technology,this study investigates the semantic processing mechanism underlying the antecedent of Chinese counterfactual conditionals,via manipulating the degree of consistency between contextual infor-mation and semantic information in Chinese counterfactual conditionals and causal conditionals.The results showed that:1)at the departure point of the conditionals,as a hypothetical conjunctive,"yaoshi"evoked larger P3a and P600 respon-ses than"yinwei";2)verbs inconsistent with context incurred a larger P600 amplitude;3)at the end of the antecedent,in contrast to the effect of easing integration of the consistent noun in causal conditionals,no N400 difference between consistent and inconsistent nouns in counterfactual conditionals was observed.These results reveal that the processing of semantic information in the antecedent of Chinese counterfactual conditionals could be separated into three stages:First-ly,as a counterfactual ingredient,the hypothetical conjunctive"yaoshi"triggeres the construction of counterfactual con-text.In turn,the readers construct and process the counterfactual representation.Subsequently,the readers construct the factual representation and process the counterfactual representation and the factual representation simultaneously.Our research supports and expands the dual-representation accounts for counterfactuals.