Relationship between Alternating Attention and Context Use during Sentence Processing in Older and Younger Adults = 정상노인과 젊은 성인의 문맥을 이용한 문장처리와 교대주의력의 관계

국문 초록 (Abstract)

노화로 인한 인지의 변화는 정상 노인들의 통사처리에 부정적 영향을 끼치는데 작업기억용량이 중요한 인지기능을 한다고 알려져 있다. 본 연구는 명사구 연결 전치사구의 이해에 도움이 되는 문맥을 제시할 때와 그렇지 않을 때 정상 노인과 젊은 성인이 어떻게 명사구 연결 전치사구를 처리하는지 단어별 자율조절읽기 방법을 통해 알아보았다. 또한, 이 때 어떤 인지기능이 문맥 이용을 통한 명사구 연결 전치사구의 처리능력과 관련이 있는지도 살펴보았다. 정상 노인은 읽기과제에서 문맥유무에 상관없이 젊은 성인보다 읽기속도가 느렸다. 그러나 두 그룹 모두 문맥이 존재할 때 명사구 연결 전치사구의 처리 속도가 빨랐다. 즉, 노인들의 노화로 인한 인지의 저하는 처리 속도만 느리게 했을 뿐 질적인 면에서 차이는 없었다. 문맥을 이용한 명사구 연결 전치사구 처리 시 관련된 인지기능은 교대주의력으로 나타났으며 본 연구에서는 작업기억용량의 역할은 발견되지 않았다. 이를 통해 노화가 통사처리에 끼치는 영향은 반드시 부정적인 것이 아니라 통사구조에 따라 다를 수 있으며, 통사 구문의 종류에 따라 관련된 인지기능이 다를 수 있음을 시사한다.

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Cognitive decline in aging is known to yield detrimental effects in syntactic processing and working memory capacity is the most crucial cognitive function in understanding older adults' sentence processing skills. This study examined how young and older adults utilize contextual information while resolving NP-attached Ps vis word-by-word self-paced reading paradigm. In addition, the study asked which cognitive functions play roles on the use of a NP-supporting context during processing of NP-attached PP. When NP-attached PP was presented in a supporting context, both age groups performed faster than in the null context condition. Among different cognitive functions, alternating attention skills were correlated with the ability utilizing context during syntactic ambiguity resolution and working memory capacity was not found to be crucial for this study. In conclusion, this study suggests that aging does not always affect older adults' syntactic processing negatively and relevant cognitive function may vary depending on the type of syntactic structure.

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