Journal

Volume 2, Issue 1 (January 31, 2001)

6 articles

• A Minimum Description Length Approach for Selecting among Qualitative Models of Cognition
  by In Jae Myung & Mark A. Pitt
  J. CS. 2001, 2(1), 1-11;
  Abstract In a qualitative model, predictions are made verbally or graphically at the level of an ordinal scale, without necessarily making use of mathematical equations. Given the large number of qualitative models in cognitive psychology, it would be useful to extend Minimum Description Length (MDL) to this... [Read more].
  Abstract In a qualitative model, predictions are made verbally or graphically at the level of an ordinal scale, without necessarily making use of mathematical equations. Given the large number of qualitative models in cognitive psychology, it would be useful to extend Minimum Description Length (MDL) to this domain so that such models could be compared in a way analogous to quantitative models. In this paper we explore a MDL approach for testing qualitative models. Some preliminary application examples are also presented. [Collapse]
• Perception, Knowledge and Young Korean Children's Word-Learning
  by Kwonsaeng Park
  J. CS. 2001, 2(1), 13-22;
  Abstract While looking at a novel physical entity, two-year-old Koreans heard the entity named. They were then asked to extend the name to new entity that preserved either shape or material of the original entity. When the entities were solid objects, children extended the words on the basis of shape, but th... [Read more].
  Abstract While looking at a novel physical entity, two-year-old Koreans heard the entity named. They were then asked to extend the name to new entity that preserved either shape or material of the original entity. When the entities were solid objects, children extended the words on the basis of shape, but this shape preference was graded depending on shape complexity of the objects. Interestingly, however, even when the entities were made from non-solid substances, the tendency to respect shape was also graded depending on the shape complexity of the entities, suggesting that ontological distinction between solid objects and non-rigid substances and perceptual complexity interact in interpreting nouns for novel entities. [Collapse]
• Frequency and Fusion in Language Processing
  by Liang Tao & Alice F. Healy
  J. CS. 2001, 2(1), 23-31;
  Abstract Two separate studies on language production and comprehension are reviewed. The production study involves phonological fusion in Beijing Mandarin, leading to a syntactic change. The processing study involves experimental results in reading Chinese and English passages. Both sets of results reflect a... [Read more].
  Abstract Two separate studies on language production and comprehension are reviewed. The production study involves phonological fusion in Beijing Mandarin, leading to a syntactic change. The processing study involves experimental results in reading Chinese and English passages. Both sets of results reflect automaticity and fusion in the processing of high-frequency words in discourse. [Collapse]
• Interference of Accent System Variation with the Acquisition of Compound Accent Rule: A Cross-dialectal Study
  by Ayako Shirose, Kazuhiko Kakehi, & Shigeru Kiritani
  J. CS. 2001, 2(1), 33-44;
  Abstract This study aims at investigating how Japanese compound accent rules (CAR) are acquired by native Japanese children. To better understand CAR acquisition, this study contrasts CAR acquisition in three dialects which vary in accent systems: Tokyo Japanese, Kyoto Japanese and Kagoshima Japanese. Our re... [Read more].
  Abstract This study aims at investigating how Japanese compound accent rules (CAR) are acquired by native Japanese children. To better understand CAR acquisition, this study contrasts CAR acquisition in three dialects which vary in accent systems: Tokyo Japanese, Kyoto Japanese and Kagoshima Japanese. Our results reveal the following points: 1) Both Tokyo and Kyoto children tended to produce the pattern in which the nonfinal foot of the compound is accented more frequently than any of the other CA patterns. This finding agrees with the universal constraint-hierarchy of Optimality Theory. 2) Kyoto children showed the tendency to use the nonfinal-footed accent at a later developmental stage than the Tokyo children. The complex accent system of Kyoto Japanese may prevent the emergence of the unmarked characteristic at an early stage of acquisition. 3) With the Kagoshima Japanese experiment, most of the children’s answers followed the adult’s answers. This result suggests the simple accent system of Kagoshima Japanese may contribute to tuning children to the adults’ accent system at an early stage of acquisition. These results raise the possibility that the accent system variation interferes with the acquisition of compound accent rule: the complex accent system suppresses CAR acquisition while the simple accent system promotes it. [Collapse]
• Phonetic Language Transfer from Japanese to English in Initial Language Development
  by Peter John Wanner
  J. CS. 2001, 2(1), 45-58;
  Abstract Early research (Limas et al., 1971) as well as recent research (Polka L. & Worker, J.F., 1994) indicates that infants can discriminate between speech sounds very early before they speak. Furthermore, infants evidence the ability to differentiate between differences in talkers’ voices (Kohl 1979,... [Read more].
  Abstract Early research (Limas et al., 1971) as well as recent research (Polka L. & Worker, J.F., 1994) indicates that infants can discriminate between speech sounds very early before they speak. Furthermore, infants evidence the ability to differentiate between differences in talkers’ voices (Kohl 1979, Kohl 1983). Hence, most language acquisition research maintains that perceptual capacities are innate and thus don’t discuss any possibilities that some perceptual capacities might be learned (e.g., Fletcher and Garman 1986; Machinery 1987; PiattelliPalmarini 1980; Pinker 1984; Rice and Schiefelbusch 1989; Wanner and Gleitman 1982).  However, some research (i.e. Aslin and Pisoni, 1980) indicates that some perceptual capacities are learned gradually over a period of time. This paper attempts to determine if bilingual infants in their first stages of language production show indications of differentiation between two different language systems. [Collapse]
• Toward Expressing Generative Lexicon Using GraphXML
  by Jong-Ho Lea
  J. CS. 2001, 2(1), 59-79;
  Abstract For machine translations and inference engines, an expressive and computationally feasible way of representing lexicons is needed.  Among many other methods in Cognitive Science, Generative Lexicon (GL) theory has gained great interests. Because GL handles four levels of lexical meaning, these combi... [Read more].
  Abstract For machine translations and inference engines, an expressive and computationally feasible way of representing lexicons is needed.  Among many other methods in Cognitive Science, Generative Lexicon (GL) theory has gained great interests. Because GL handles four levels of lexical meaning, these combinations of four levels resolve many lexical ambiguities and explain the creative nature of language. Using only the syntactic cues, this generative mechanism resolves the ambiguities of polysemy and metonymy by finding a proper Dependency Graph between the lexical meanings.  In this paper, we propose a new way of coding the GL-style Dependency Graph of lexical information in GraphXML format.  GraphXML is a proposed XML specification to represent graphs. The graph representation can be used as a message form for lexicons as well as a data structure for inference engines.  In conjunction with the semantic graph nature, we propose a new way of representing the dynamic properties of the semantic analysis. Using C++ programming, we also implement an inference engine parsing this GraphXML form of GL. [Collapse]