Time-pressure Does Not Alter the Bias Towards Canonical Interpretation of Quantifiers

Ruben Potthoff, Sonia Ramotowska, Jakub Szymanik, Leendert van Maanen

Abstract: Author(s): Potthoff, Ruben; Ramotowska, Sonia; Szymanik, Jakub; van Maanen, Leendert | Abstract: The Interface Transparency Thesis (ITT) proposes that people tend to use a canonical interpretation of linguistic expressions, even when this interpretation is sub-optimal for the task at hand. The current paper sought to investigate this claim further by adding a time-pressure manipulation to a quantified sentence verification task and analyzing the results through a computational model of decision-making. The results indicate that time pressure -while effectively changing behavioral responses- does not alter cognitive processes associated with quantifier verification, thus supporting the ITT.