ERIC Number: EJ1216507
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-May
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2407-9898
EISSN: N/A
Gauging the Processing Times of Ambiguous Sentences: A Reaction Time Study on Persian Undergraduate Students
Salehi, Mohammad; Basiri, Nasim Mahboob
Athens Journal of Education, v3 n2 p155-171 May 2016
The present study explored the differences among the process times for sentences containing one of the three kinds of linguistic ambiguities namely, lexical, grouping, and functional ambiguities. A reaction time program of a 30- item multiple-choice test of translation was developed. Forty-three Persian undergraduate students took the test. The reaction time of each item was recorded in milliseconds for each participant. A multivariate ANOVA (MANOVA) was run to compare the process times for each subsection of the test. The results of the pair-wise comparison tests indicated that there was a significant difference between process times for lexical and grouping ambiguities and between those of lexical and functional ambiguities. There was no significant difference, however, between the process times for grouping and functional ambiguities. The findings of this study can be useful in educating English learners about ambiguities and deciding on which ambiguity should be under more focus and attention.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Undergraduate Students, Language Processing, Reaction Time, Ambiguity (Semantics), Sentences, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning
Athens Institute for Education & Research. 8 Valaoritou Street, Kolonaki, Athens 10671, Greece. e-mail: education@atiner.gr; Web site: https://www.athensjournals.gr/aje
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Iran
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A