工作记忆广度对语篇理解中重读效应的影响

The present study explored the influence of working memory span on accentuation effects in discourse comprehension from the approach of individual difference. High and low working memory span subjects were selected by Reading Span Test. Sentence-by-sentence Auditory Moving Window paradigm was employed to measure the effects of accentuation on discourse comprehension. The on-line processing time of discourse comprehension was compared between consistent accentuation condition, inconsistent accentuation condition and controlled condition. The results indicated that the accentuation effects were influenced by working memory capacity. For low working memory subjects, consistent accentuation speeded up the on-line processing of spoken discourse, inconsistent accentuation slowed down the on-line processing of spoken discourse. But for high working memory span subjects, neither effect was manifested. The only significant difference was found between the condition of inconsistent accentuation and consistent accentuation. During spoken discourse comprehension, there was no significant difference in the on-line processing time between high and low working memory span subjects in consistent accentuation condition as well as in neutral accentuation condition. However, in the condition of inconsistence accentuation, low span subjects spent significantly more time on the on-line processing of spoken discourse than high span subjects. The results could be explained by the controlled attention view of working memory.