How is the processing of pronouns influenced by gender and implicit causality information - Essay Example

Their findings demonstrate that if the causality information, clearly supplied in the rest of the sentence, ‘goes against’ the bias of the verb available, readers need more time to process and interpret the entire sentence ((Caramazza et al., 1977). This is shown in the following sentences representative of Caramazzas sample structure: This inclusion of similar or disparate genders of pronouns in sentences causes delays in processing and comprehension caused by the pronoun that is incompatible with the ‘bias’ of the implicit causality verb - verb preceding the pronoun - as this verb seems to be favouring either the object or the subject (Caramazza 1977).

However, current literature on this subject has extended, strengthened or opposed these contentions. Research and experiments done by Stewart and Pickering have supported and extended the idea of implicit causality started by Caramazza et al. Stewart and Pickering and their colleagues scrutinized the effects of the verb bias on language comprehension and found out that implicit causality is not the only semantic bias related to the process of clausal integration. Stewart and Pickering proposed a new kind of bias which he referred to as implicit consequentiality (2000).

Implicit consequentiality, Pickering asserts, just like implicit causality, influences the processing of pronouns in sentences. He noted that "subjects are sensitive to the consequences of events described by particular verbs and use this information to focus on one participant rather than the other" (Stewart and Pickering 2000). As in this sentence devised by the aforementioned author, for instance: Pickering and his colleagues noted that the verb focus on the sentence above is the consequence of the verb annoyed.

However, this is followed by an outcome affecting one of the characters. Thus, Stewart and Pickering assert that difficulty in