Ambiguous Condition Research Articles

Neural mechanisms of dynamic syntactic and semantic processing in Chinese garden-path sentence comprehension: An ERP study

In this study, the neural mechanisms of dynamic syntactic and semantic processing in Chinese garden-path sentence comprehension were investigated using electrophysiological and behavioral measures. Two groups of garden-path sentences were designed, with the ambiguity of multiple word categories in Group 1 and classifier-noun agreements in Group 2. Besides the ambiguous condition, there were also control and semantic violation conditions. Participants made plausibility judgment of each sentence. The ERPs elicited by the last three critical word regions in each sentence were examined continuously to uncover the time course of the revision process clearly. Relative to the control sentence, the ambiguous sentences of both groups elicited the smallest N400 before and on the disambiguating region, but the largest P600 at the disambiguation position, indicating that the sentences were misparsed and/or misinterpreted initially, and revised efficiently when the input cannot be integrated into the syntactic structure constructed. No significant N400 difference was observed between the ambiguous and the control condition on the disambiguating regions, indicating that semantic processing proceeded even no appropriate syntactic structures were built for the incomplete sentences. Therefore, without morphosyntactic constraints in Chinese, semantic processing is generally prior to the syntactic one, which will be revised only when semantic integration fails.

SketchDream: Sketch-based Text-To-3D Generation and Editing

Existing text-based 3D generation methods generate attractive results but lack detailed geometry control. Sketches, known for their conciseness and expressiveness, have contributed to intuitive 3D modeling but are confined to producing texture-less mesh models within predefined categories. Integrating sketch and text simultaneously for 3D generation promises enhanced control over geometry and appearance but faces challenges from 2D-to-3D translation ambiguity and multi-modal condition integration. Moreover, further editing of 3D models in arbitrary views will give users more freedom to customize their models. However, it is difficult to achieve high generation quality, preserve unedited regions, and manage proper interactions between shape components. To solve the above issues, we propose a text-driven 3D content generation and editing method, SketchDream, which supports NeRF generation from given hand-drawn sketches and achieves free-view sketch-based local editing. To tackle the 2D-to-3D ambiguity challenge, we introduce a sketch-based multi-view image generation diffusion model, which leverages depth guidance to establish spatial correspondence. A 3D ControlNet with a 3D attention module is utilized to control multi-view images and ensure their 3D consistency. To support local editing, we further propose a coarse-to-fine editing approach: the coarse phase analyzes component interactions and provides 3D masks to label edited regions, while the fine stage generates realistic results with refined details by local enhancement. Extensive experiments validate that our method generates higher-quality results compared with a combination of 2D ControlNet and image-to-3D generation techniques and achieves detailed control compared with existing diffusion-based 3D editing approaches.

Revisiting RSA-polynomial problem and semiprime factorization

This paper focuses on the RSA-polynomial problem, a cryptographic hard problem that has been recently proposed and studied in, along with its various applications. We revisit this problem and conduct a refined analysis to address an ambiguous condition that was previously introduced in the context of RSA-polynomial based semiprime factorization. By deriving an accurate attack condition, we are able to identify weak cases of the RSA-polynomial problem and expand the vulnerable bound. To facilitate this, we propose two optimized factoring attacks that leverage improved lattice-based theorems for solving bivariate integer polynomials of a specific form. The validity and effectiveness of our proposed factoring attacks are verified through both theoretical analysis and experimental results. Additionally, we examine the RSA-polynomial based commitment scheme and identify deficiencies that compromise its reliability. To address the limitations, we propose enhancements to the commitment phase of the scheme.

Segmentation of Spoken Overlapping Ambiguity Strings in Chinese: An Eye-Tracking Study.

Using the printed-word paradigm with eye tracking, this study conducted three experiments to examine (a) how multiple words in spoken overlapping ambiguity strings (OASs) are activated, (b) how word frequency influences the word segmentation of spoken OASs, and (c) whether the multiple words in spoken OASs are activated competitively or independently. In this study, participants listened to a four-character spoken OAS (ABCD) and were presented with a visual display composed of a semantic associate of the "middle word" (BC; Experiments 1 and 2) or the "left word" (AB; Experiment 3) and two distractors. In Experiment 1, the word frequency of the middle words was manipulated to be higher than that of the neighbor words. In Experiment 2, the word frequency of the middle words was manipulated to be either higher or lower than that of the neighbor words. In Experiment 3, participants listened to either spoken OASs (ABCD) or spoken unambiguous strings (ABEF). In Experiment 1, we observed a significant semantic competition effect; that is, more fixations fell on the semantic competitors than on distractors, suggesting that the semantic information of the middle words in the spoken OASs was activated. In Experiment 2, the semantic competition effect was only observed in the high-frequency condition and was absent in the low-frequency condition. In Experiment 3, the results showed significant semantic competition effects for the left words under both conditions, and the observed effect was similar between the ambiguity condition and the control condition. These findings show that multiple words in spoken OASs are all activated and the activation level is modulated by word frequency. In addition, multiple words in the spoken OASs may be processed independently during spoken comprehension.

The role of underspecification in relative clause attachment: Speed-accuracy tradeoff evidence.

A number of studies have found evidence for the so-called ambiguity advantage, that is, faster processing of ambiguous sentences compared with unambiguous counterparts. While a number of proposals regarding the mechanism underlying this phenomenon have been made, the empirical evidence so far is far from unequivocal. It is compatible with several theories, including strategic underspecification (Swets et al., 2008), race models (Logačev & Vasishth, 2016; Van Gompel et al., 2000), and a more recent coactivation-based account (Dillon et al., 2019). While all three classes of theories make matching predictions for the average time to complete relative clause (RC) attachment in ambiguous compared with unambiguous sentences, their predictions diverge with regard to the minimum completion times. The speed-accuracy tradeoff procedure was used to test the predictions of all three classes of theories. According to a hierarchical Bayesian model, the speed-accuracy tradeoff functions (SATFs) for ambiguous RC attachment conditions show an earlier departure from chance performance than in either high or low attachment conditions. The results further indicate increased asymptotic accuracy in the ambiguous condition but no increase in processing rate. Taken together, this pattern of results is compatible with the strategic underspecification model and coactivation-based accounts, but not with race models. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Reward processing in adolescents with social phobia and depression

ObjectiveImpaired reward processing has been found in individuals with anxiety, but also major depressive disorder (MDD). Here, we studied neural correlates of reward anticipation and processing in a sample of youth with severe social phobia and comorbid depression (SP/MDD) and investigated the specific contribution of SP and MDD symptoms. Methods15 affected, unmedicated and 25 typically developing (TD) youth completed a monetary gambling task, which included a positive, negative and ambiguous reward condition. Event-related potentials representing cue processing (cue P300), reward anticipation (stimulus preceding negativity, SPN), reward sensitivity (feedback related negativity, FRN) and reward processing (reward P300) were analysed. ResultsReduced amplitudes of the right hemispheric (r)SPN and reward P300 were observed in SP/MDD compared to TD. Within the SP/MDD group SP symptoms correlated with larger rSPN, and FRN amplitudes. MDD symptoms correlated with smaller rSPN and smaller FRN positive–negative difference wave. ConclusionsReward anticipation and feedback processing are reduced in SP/MDD. Higher SP symptoms are associated with stronger neural activation during reward anticipation and reward sensitivity. Depressive symptoms are associated with decreased reward anticipation and sensitivity. Findings are in line with the theory of heightened vigilance in anxiety and blunted reward processing due to anhedonia in MDD. SignificanceThe study results can inform behavioural interventions for SP and MDD.

Estimating the True Cost of Garden Pathing: A Computational Model of Latent Cognitive Processes.

What is the processing cost of being garden-pathed by a temporary syntactic ambiguity? We argue that comparing average reading times in garden-path versus non-garden-path sentences is not enough to answer this question. Trial-level contaminants such as inattention, the fact that garden pathing may occur non-deterministically in the ambiguous condition, and "triage" (rejecting the sentence without reanalysis; Fodor & Inoue, 2000) lead to systematic underestimates of the true cost of garden pathing. Furthermore, the "pure" garden-path effect due to encountering an unexpected word needs to be separated from the additional cost of syntactic reanalysis. To get more realistic estimates for the individual processing costs of garden pathing and syntactic reanalysis, we implement a novel computational model that includes trial-level contaminants as probabilistically occurring latent cognitive processes. The model shows a good predictive fit to existing reading time and judgment data. Furthermore, the latent-process approach captures differences between noun phrase/zero complement (NP/Z) garden-path sentences and semantically biased reduced relative clause (RRC) garden-path sentences: The NP/Z garden path occurs nearly deterministically but can be mostly eliminated by adding a comma. By contrast, the RRC garden path occurs with a lower probability, but disambiguation via semantic plausibility is not alwayseffective.

Fragile promise: The role of justification in promise‐breaking

People who consider themselves moral sometimes use self‐serving justifications to rationalize their selfish behaviours. Previous studies have tested the role of ambiguity in justifying wrongdoings, but it remains unclear whether ambiguity also plays a role in justifying promise‐breaking behaviour and whether heterogeneity exists. To investigate justification in promise‐breaking, we introduced a new experimental paradigm called the card‐guessing task and used hierarchical cluster analysis to classify participants based on their promise‐breaking decisions in unambiguous and ambiguous conditions. Experiment 1 revealed three clusters of solutions: Cluster 1 always kept their promises (i.e., keepers); Cluster 2 only exploited the vague promises and broke their promises in the ambiguous condition (i.e., intermediates); Cluster 3 tended to take advantage of vague promises and broke their promises irrespective of ambiguity (i.e., breakers). Experiment 2 confirmed that participants in the three clusters differed in their norm‐abiding preferences and social value orientations. Keepers were more altruistic and had a stronger sense of norm compliance than intermediates and breakers. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that self‐serving justifications were more likely to be employed by people who are moderately sensitive to deviation from social norms, which has implications for strategic interventions and policy formulation concerning unethical behaviour.

The Role of Honorific Agreement in the Resolution of Relative Clause Attachment Ambiguity

Previous studies have reported that there were cross-linguistic differences in resolving the attachment ambiguity of relative clauses (RC) to noun phrases (NP) with two antecedents. Attaching RCs to low NPs (i.e., NP₂ in [[NP₁ of NP₂] RC]), known as low attachment (LA), is preferred in languages like English, whereas attachment to high NPs (i.e., NP₁ in [[NP₁ of NP₂] RC]), known as high attachment(HA), is favored in languages like Spanish. In Korean, findings are biased to HA preference (i.e, NP₂ in [RC [NP₁ of NP₂]]) but are not fully conclusive. We reinvestigated Korean attachment preferences using a force-choice task, where both or specific antecedents were valid as an attachment site, with and without the presence of honorific-markers. HA preference was found only in the ambiguous condition. However, the attachment preference varied as a function of the morpho-syntactic information: 1) The attachment preference was changed from HA to LA when honorific markers indexed to attach RCs to low antecedents. 2) The HA preference became stronger when the honorific agreement information forced an attachment of RCs to high antecedents. We discuss our results in the view of constraint-based approach in psycholinguistics.

Psychological Impact of Ambiguous Health Messages about COVID-19.

Perceiving ambiguity in health information—that is, uncertainty elicited from believing information lacks credibility, reliability, or adequacy—is typically associated with pessimistic appraisals (e.g., high perceived disease risk) and behavioral avoidance. We examined the effect of ambiguous health information about COVID-19 on health cognitions and vaccination intentions, and tested a “normalized-uncertainty” intervention. Two studies with identical methodology (online adult sample: n = 299, undergraduate sample: n = 150) were conducted in March to April 2020. Participants were randomly assigned to read one of three health messages about COVID-19 that emphasized what was currently unknown (ambiguity condition), what was currently unknown but that scientific uncertainty is expected (intervention condition), or what was currently known (control condition). The ambiguity condition led to greater perceived ambiguity than the control condition and perceived ambiguity in the intervention condition was comparable to the ambiguity condition. There were few differences in health cognitions, and no differences in vaccination intentions, when examining pairwise comparisons across the three conditions. Correlational analyses collapsing across condition indicated evidence of pessimistic appraisal but not behavioral avoidance among individuals who perceived greater ambiguity. Future research should examine longer, more detailed normalized-uncertainty interventions.

Dissociation of Connectivity for Syntactic Irregularity and Perceptual Ambiguity in Musical Chord Stimuli.

Musical syntax has been studied mainly in terms of “syntactic irregularity” in harmonic/melodic sequences. However, “perceptual ambiguity” referring to the uncertainty of judgment/classification of presented stimuli can in addition be involved in our musical stimuli using three different chord sequences. The present study addresses how “syntactic irregularity” and “perceptual ambiguity” on musical syntax are dissociated, in terms of effective connectivity between the bilateral inferior frontal gyrus (IFGs) and superior temporal gyrus (STGs) by linearized time-delayed mutual information (LTDMI). Three conditions were of five-chord sequences with endings of dominant to tonic, dominant to submediant, and dominant to supertonic. The dominant to supertonic is most irregular, compared with the regular dominant to tonic. The dominant to submediant of the less irregular condition is the most ambiguous condition. In the LTDMI results, connectivity from the right to the left IFG (IFG-LTDMI) was enhanced for the most irregular condition, whereas that from the right to the left STG (STG-LTDMI) was enhanced for the most ambiguous condition (p = 0.024 in IFG-LTDMI, p < 0.001 in STG-LTDMI, false discovery rate (FDR) corrected). Correct rate was negatively correlated with STG-LTDMI, further reflecting perceptual ambiguity (p = 0.026). We found for the first time that syntactic irregularity and perceptual ambiguity coexist in chord stimulus testing musical syntax and that the two processes are dissociated in interhemispheric connectivities in the IFG and STG, respectively.

Biliteracy and acquisition of novel written words: the impact of phonological conflict between L1 and L2 scripts.

The acquisition of new orthographic representations is a rapid and accurate process in proficient monolingual readers. The present study used biliterate and bialphabetic population to address the impact of phonological inconsistencies across the native (L1) and second (L2) alphabets. Naming latencies were collected from 50 Russian-English biliterates through a reading-aloud task with familiar and novel word forms repeated across 10 blocks. There were three Script conditions: (1) native Cyrillic, (2) non-native Roman, and (3) Ambiguous (with graphically identical, but phonologically inconsistent graphemes shared by both alphabets). Our analysis revealed the main effect of Script on both reading and orthographic learning: naming latencies during training were longer for the ambiguous stimuli, particularly for the novel ones. Nonetheless, novel word forms in the ambiguous condition approached the latencies for the familiar words along the exposures, although this effect was faster in the phonologically consistent trials. Post-training tests revealed similarly successful performance patterns for previously familiar and newly trained forms, indicating successful rapid acquisition of the latter. Furthermore, we found the highest free recall rates for the ambiguous stimuli. Overall, our results indicate that phonological inconsistency initially interferes with the efficiency of novel word encoding. Nevertheless, it does not prevent efficient attribution of orthographic representations; instead, the knowledge of two distinct alphabets supports a more efficient learning and a better memory for ambiguous stimuli via enhancing their encoding and retrieval.

The Impact of Ambiguity-induced Error in Offender Decision-making: Evidence from the Field

Objectives: To invoke behavioral economics theories of ambiguity in the context of offender decision-making, and to test the impact of ambiguity in punishment certainty on offender decisions. Methods: We leverage a quasi-experimental condition among a sample of drunk driving arrestees that are tested for alcohol use and subject to mandatory brief incarceration for a violation. The treatment condition relaxes a zero-tolerance alcohol rule, thereby introducing design-based ambiguity surrounding the certainty of punishment. We use Mahalanobis matching and propensity score weighting methods to estimate the impact of ambiguity on violations. We then interrogate this finding with complementary sensitivity analyses. Results: When facing the ambiguity condition participants are 27–28 percentage points (84–93 percent) more likely to violate program conditions after 30 days of supervision. We demonstrate that a statistical difference in violations due to ambiguity is still detectible at 90 and 180 days of supervision. These results are robust to alternative specifications and falsification tests. Conclusions: This study is the first to examine the impact of ambiguity on criminal justice program compliance using a quasi-experiment from the field. We further demonstrate the unintended costs to persons under supervision and jurisdictions of laxity in program design, which are applicable across criminal justice domains.

Language Matters

There is no getting around our residence in language—language understood not primarily as a system of signification but as the necessarily ambiguous existential condition of intelligibility in which we always already find ourselves situated, the historically evolving collective articulation of things. The ontological theory of language at issue here, with its concern for the problems of meaning and translation in particular and its methodological distance-in-nearness, entails a simultaneously concentrated and expansive allegorical experience of the world. Allegory brings out the word inherent in the thing—the word not as flat marker but as gravitating and radiating body of history. This essay touches on prominent nineteenth- and twentieth-century sources of this modernist theory of language and philosophical philology, thinkers who worked in different ways to open theoretical horizons while promulgating an art of reading. Such historically oriented and textually focused work of opening remains a political-educational imperative.

Who is “oneself” in Chinese? ERP responses to the Chinese simple reflexive ziji in discourse comprehension

The Principle A of the Binding Theory (Chomsky, 1981, 1986) prescribes that a reflexive should refer to a local antecedent within the local syntactic domain containing the reflexive. However, the Chinese (simple) reflexive ziji (自己, standing for oneself) can refer not only to a local but also to a long-distance antecedent in sentences, leaving room for a long - distance/local anaphoric ambiguity in common Chinese “Antecedent 1 + Verb 1 + Antecedent 2 + Verb 2 + ziji ” structures, with the eligible reference of ziji being directly determined by discourse context. The present study explores how discourse context affects ziji anaphora processing by presenting such long-distance/local ambiguous ziji anaphoric structures in different (disambiguating) referential contexts or without a context, which found that relative to ziji in the non-contextual (ambiguous) condition, ziji s under both the long-distance and the local referential contexts elicited a frontally dominant and sustained negativity that emerges at about 350 ms after word-onset, i.e., an Nref effect. The current Nref effect may reflect the processes that language users make a discourse inference to resolve the (temporarily) referential ambiguity or difficulty caused by ziji having two candidate antecedents in the discourse. Theoretically, based on neurocognitive evidence obtained from the present and previous (e.g., Li & Zhou, 2010) studies on ziji anaphora processing, it was hypothesized that discourse- and sentence-level ziji anaphora may involve distinct neurocognitive processes that are governed by different mechanisms (factors), which to some extent accords with a comprehensive theory considering multiple factors on explaining ziji anaphora. • ERP study on Chinese ziji anaphora in discourse comprehension. • Presenting ambiguous ziji anaphoric structures in different referential contexts. • Under both long-distance and local referential contexts, ziji elicited an Nref. • The present Nref reflects processes of discourse referential inference. • Neurocognitive evidence supports a comprehensive theory on ziji anaphora.

КЛИНИЧЕСКИЙ СЛУЧАЙ ОРТОПЕДИЧЕСКОЙ СТОМАТОЛОГИЧЕСКОЙ РЕАБИЛИТАЦИИ ПАЦИЕНТА С СИНДРОМОМ КЛОУСТОНА И ВРОЖДЕННОЙ АДЕНТИЕЙ

Subject. Clouston syndrome is within the list of rare (orphan) congenital diseases. The issue of peculiarities in dental rehabilitation of patients with Clouston syndrome and congenital edentulism remains discussable. There are no approved clinical guidelines regarding this problem for dental practitioners.&#x0D; Aim ― improvement of diagnostic and treatment procedures efficacy for children with Clouston syndrome and congenital edentulism in the orthopedic dentistry and orthodontics clinic.&#x0D; Methodology. In order to demonstrate capabilities of efficacious orthopedic dental rehabilitation, a clinical case of a 14-years old patient with Clouston syndrome and congenital edentulism in an ambiguous oral cavity condition is presented, demonstrating the most justified and predictable approach to clinical management of patients.&#x0D; Results. The paper describes results of analysis of domestic and foreign literature devoted to the issue of determining distinctive diagnostic features of patients with Clouston syndrome used in the diagnostic process in the presented clinical case. Technological peculiarities and advantages of the chosen minimally invasive treatment approach – application of removable dentures – are described. The article demonstrates photographs depicting orthopaedic dental treatment results providing evidence of aesthetic, functional and social rehabilitation of the patient.&#x0D; Findings. The presented literature review of main distinctive clinical features of Clouston syndrome is an efficacious diagnostic algorithm in clinical orthopedic dentistry and orthodontics that forms a clear route for allied specialists in terms of diagnosis of this pathology in patients. The presented clinical case of minimally invasive orrthopedica dental treatment methods for rehabilitation of patients with Clouston syndrome and congenital edentulism is an option that provides for predictable satisfactory aesthetic and functional results of treatment, social adaptation of patients and a wide spectrum of further clinical decisions in short- and long-term follow-up management of patients.

Access to citizenship for abandoned children: how migrants’ children become ‘stateless’ in Japanese orphanages

ABSTRACT There is a gap between the legal definition of abandoned children and the ambiguous condition of migrants’ abandoned children. Building on the theoretical frameworks of Mahdavi’s ‘legal production of illegality’, and Gonzales’s ‘the law and the clock’, this article highlights the importance of time as a factor for the legal production of statelessness. The cases of abandoned children of Southeast Asian parentage growing up in Japanese orphanages are analysed through interviews with staff members and a survey in orphanages in Japan. Two concepts are essential to analyse the role of time in the legal production of statelessness: 1) presumptive foreign nationality (attached by a local government without any confirmation from the home country), and 2) considered nationality (officials’ personal opinion on whether people qualify to acquire nationality). The ambiguous abandonment of migrants’ children pushes them into a limbo of nationality laws and results in their statelessness once they become adults.

Orthographic Learning In L1 And L2 Alphabets: The Impact of Phonological Inconsistency Across Cyrillic and Roman Scripts

The acquisition of new orthographic representations has been systematically found as a fast and accurate process in monolingual readers. The present study aims to extended this research to biliterate and bialphabetic population, addressing the impact of phonological inconsistencies across the native (L1) and second (L2) alphabet. Naming latencies were collected from 50 Russian-English biliterates through a reading-aloud task, in which familiar and novel words were repeatedly presented across 10 blocks. The stimuli were equally divided in three script conditions: Cyrillic, Roman (in both cases, using script-specific graphemes) and ambiguous (using graphemes common to L1 and L2 alphabets, and thus phonologically inconsistent). Linear mixed-effects modelling revealed differences in the process of orthographic learning depending on the script. Thus, although naming latencies for novel and familiar words in the ambiguous condition were matched along the training, this effect was much faster in conditions of phonological consistency. Nonetheless, post-training outcomes of learning revealed similar recall and recognition performance in familiar and trained words regardless of the script. Overall, our results indicate that phonological inconsistency interferes with the decoding of novel words but does not prevent the efficient achievement of orthographic representations in biliterates.

Goal Ambiguity, Management, and Performance in U.S. Nursing Homes

Public administration research has produced a large literature on the determinants, consequences, and complexities of goal clarity and ambiguity. This article contributes to this line of work by examining how perceived goal ambiguity and goal multiplicity condition the effect of top administrators’ management on performance. In the context of U.S. nursing homes, we find that the positive effect of management on service quality tends to decrease when administrators report facing high levels of goal ambiguity and pursue numerous priorities that they consider important. This study improves our understanding of the complex mechanisms through which managerial strategies influence organizational outcomes.

Beam Training Technique for Millimeter-Wave Cellular Systems Using Retrodirective Arrays

Beam training in millimeter-wave (mmWave) cellular systems requires a long processing time that is proportional to the product of the number of transmitting and receiving beams. In this paper, we propose a beam training technique that can significantly reduce the beam training time in mmWave cellular systems, using a retrodirective directional array (RDA). In the proposed technique, the beam sweeping operations required at the base station (BS) and mobile station (MS) are significantly reduced owing to the use of the RDA, which automatically returns a signal in the direction along which it originated. A preamble sequence design technique for beam training is proposed to identify the BS, MS, and beams simultaneously transmitted from the BS/MS, using the Zadoff-Chu sequence. The ambiguity condition and detection algorithms are derived so that we can uniquely identify the parameters for beam alignment in asynchronous environments with symbol timing offset (STO) and carrier frequency offset (CFO). Simulations show that the proposed algorithm can correctly detect the parameters for beam alignment in mmWave cellular systems with RDA in asynchronous environments. Moreover, the proposed technique can significantly reduce the period required for beam training, compared with the conventional techniques.