Word Monitoring

Abstract

In a typical word monitoring paradigm, subjects monitor ongoing language input for a pre-designated target word. Independent variables include the nature and position of the target word and the context in which it is embedded. Dependent variables may be response latencies, error rates or brain imaging data. The word monitoring paradigm addresses issues such as the role of acoustic and phonetic information in identifying spoken words, orthographic information in identifying visual words, and the ways in which semantic, syntactic and pragmatic context contribute to word identification. Forms of this task are suitable for studies with special populations, including young children and brain-damaged individuals.