Retrieval Theory Research Articles

Searching for Semantic Distance Effects

Language processing relies on memory. There exists a considerable body of literature on retrieval in sentence processing and, in particular, on cases involving recall of syntax-relevant information. There is no reason to doubt, however, that memory is involved in semantic aspects of language processing as well. In this work, we look at the case of additive presuppositions, such as those involved in interpreting the additive particle too. When one hears Mary went to the party, too, one should recall that someone other than Mary went to the party. We make the case that, as a starting hypothesis, it would be expected that the retrieval of this kind of information should share basic features of memory processes in language with the better-known cases of recall involved in syntactic parsing. In particular, we argue that, given certain assumptions and linking hypotheses, all prominent retrieval theories predict the existence of distance effects for the recall of previous information, independent of whether the recall is driven by syntactic or semantic, sentential or inter-sentential, considerations. As the distance increases, so does the difficulty of processing. We test this prediction in four experiments that investigate the role of retrieval in interpreting too. Using the Bayesian hierarchical modelling paradigm, we find evidence in two self-paced reading experiments that it takes more time to read sentences with too when the distance between the trigger and its antecedent is greater, compared to a baseline that lacks the presupposition trigger. This result shows that theories of the role of memory in language are just as relevant to the domain of discourse interpretation as they are to syntactic parsing. The fact that our evidence was relatively hard to find, however, suggests additionally that there are interesting differences to explore in the future.

The role of cue salience in prospective memory commission errors in nonperformed nonfocal tasks.

Prospective memory (PM) refers to the ability to remember to execute an intention in the future without having a permanent reminder. These intentions can be performed when they are not relevant or become no-longer needed, the so-called "commission errors". The present study aims to understand the effect of cue salience on PM commission errors with unperformed intentions and on the ongoing task performance-associated costs. Through a between-subjects design, eighty-one participants were assigned to 3 conditions: the no-PM condition, which served as control, and the salient and nonsalient conditions, which were asked to perform a lexical decision task and an incomplete nonfocal prospective memory task (i.e. no PM cues were presented). Subsequently, participants were instructed to no longer execute the prospective intention. In the second phase, a lexical decision task occurred again, including irrelevant PM cues, which should not be answered as such. In the salient condition, cues were salient (i.e. presented in red or blue background). In contrast, in the nonsalient condition, PM cues appeared on a black background, as any other stimuli. In the no-PM control condition, participants only performed an LDT. A commission error occurred when the (irrelevant) intention was performed in this second phase. Results showed that more participants performed a commission error in the presence of salient cues, even when PM intentions became irrelevant. Additionally, when cues were not salient, participants took longer to answer the LDT, as reasoned by the spontaneous retrieval theory. These findings are discussed according to the dual-mechanism account.

A multilevel examination of an inhibitory retrieval approach to exposure: Differentiating the unique and combined effects of multiple-context and multiple-stimulus cues

Background and objectivesA proposed strategy for attenuating the return of fear is conducting exposure therapy in multiple contexts (e.g., different locations), which is believed to enhance the generalizability of safety learning. Although conducting exposure in multiple contexts can be differentiated from conducting exposure with multiple stimuli, the two strategies are often conflated. Furthermore, researchers have not yet determined whether one of these strategies, or a combination thereof, is most effective in attenuating fear renewal. MethodsAccordingly, the present treatment-analogue study examined the unique and combined effects of multiple-context and multiple-stimulus imagery-based exposure manipulations on threat expectancy, behavioral approach/anxiety, and attentional bias for threat over Zoom. Community adults (N = 134) who met diagnostic criteria for snake phobia were randomized to exposure to a single snake in multiple environmental contexts (MC), exposure to multiple snakes in a single environmental context (MS), or exposure to multiple snakes in multiple environmental contexts (MS/MC). ResultsResults revealed significant reductions in threat expectancy and behavioral anxiety, but not attentional bias for threat in all three groups. However, behavioral approach declined over the course of exposure in the MS/MC condition but remained stable in the MC and MS conditions. There were no significant group differences in behavioral approach/anxiety or attentional bias at a one-week follow-up. However, participants in the MC condition reported lower threat expectancy at a one-week follow-up than the other groups and this group difference was partially mediated by lower mean distress during exposure. ConclusionsImplications of these findings for the inhibitory retrieval theory are discussed.

Imagining the Future: Memory, Simulation, and Beliefs

Abstract How do people form beliefs about novel risks, with which they have little or no experience? Motivated by survey data on beliefs about COVID we collected in 2020, we build a model based on the psychology of selective memory. When a person thinks about an event, different experiences compete for retrieval, and retrieved experiences are used to simulate the event based on how similar they are to it. The model predicts that different experiences interfere with each other in recall and that non-domain-specific experiences can bias beliefs based on their similarity to the assessed event. We test these predictions using data from our COVID survey and from a primed-recall experiment about cyberattack risk. In line with our theory of similarity-based retrieval and simulation, experiences and their measured similarity to the cued event help account for experience effects, priming effects, and the interaction of the two in shaping beliefs.

The effect of a Schema-based method on correcting persistent errors in mental arithmetic: an experimental study.

Arithmetic calculation is a fundamental skill for mathematical learning and daily life. However, elementary school students often make errors in practice. Grounded in the schema theory and the memory retrieval theory of mental arithmetic, this study employs a controlled experiment to investigate the effect of a schema-based method in correcting persistent errors in mental arithmetic, specifically in the context of simple addition operations. The experimental group utilizes a schema-based method to help participants rectify incorrect answers in memory retrieval, while the control group did not receive this treatment. The results showed that significant differences emerged between the experimental and control groups in both the post-test performance and the reduction of persistent error count, indicating that the experimental group had rectified incorrect answers in memory; and persistent errors in simple addition were indeed caused by interference from incorrect answers during memory retrieval; and the schema-based method proves to be effective. The findings of this study contribute to enhancing practical mental arithmetic instruction, assisting students in correcting relevant errors, and improving their mental arithmetic abilities. Not only does it offer directive guidance for teaching practices, but it also provides an enlightening reference for promoting innovative teaching methods.

Semantic accessibility and interference in pronoun resolution

The general view in syntactic literature is that binding constraints can make antecedents syntactically inaccessible. However, several studies showed that antecedents which are ruled out by syntactic binding constraints still influence online processing of anaphora in some stages, suggesting that a cue-based retrieval mechanism plays a role during anaphora resolution. As in the syntactic literature, in semantic accounts like Discourse Representation Theory (DRT), formal constraints are formulated in terms of accessibility of the antecedent. We explore the discourse inaccessibility postulated in DRT by looking at its role in pronoun resolution of inter-sentential anaphoric relations in four off-line and two eye-tracking experiments. The results of the eye-tracking experiments suggest that accessibility has an effect on pronoun resolution from early on. The study quantifies evidence of inaccessible antecedents affecting pronoun resolution and shows that almost all evidence points to the conclusion that discourse-inaccessible antecedents are ruled out for pronoun resolution in processing. The only potential counter-example to this claim is also detected, but remains only as anecdotal evidence even after combining data from both eye-tracking studies. The findings in the study show that accessibility plays a significant role in the processing of pronoun resolution in a way which is potentially challenging for the cue-based retrieval mechanism. The paper argues that discourse accessibility can help expand the theories of retrieval beyond the syntactic and sentence-level domain and provides a window into the study of interference in discourse.

Subject-verb dependency formation and semantic interference in native and non-native language comprehension

AbstractDifferences between native (L1) and non-native (L2) comprehension have been debated. This study explores whether a source of potential L1/L2 differences lies in susceptibility to memory-based interference during dependency formation. Interference effects are known to occur in sentences like The key to the cabinets were rusty, where ungrammaticality results from a number mismatch between the sentence subject and verb. Such sentences are sometimes misperceived as grammatical due to the presence of a number-matching “distractor” (“the cabinets”). Interference has been well-examined in a number agreement. However, whether and how forming thematic relations is susceptible to interference remains underexplored in L1 and L2 language comprehension. In six preregistered experiments, we investigated semantic interference in language comprehension and explored whether potential L1/L2 differences can be attributed to different degrees of susceptibility to interference. The results did not show that L2 speakers are more susceptible to interference than L1 speakers. Also, the observed interference patterns were only partially consistent with existing theories of memory retrieval during comprehension. We discuss how these theories may be reconciled with our findings and argue our results suggest that similar processes are involved in L1 and L2 subject-verb dependency formation.

Report on the 9th ACM SIGIR / the 13th International Conference on the Theory of Information Retrieval (ICTIR 2023)

The 9th ACM SIGIR / The 13th International Conference on the Theory of Information Retrieval (ICTIR 2023) held in Taiwan co-located with SIGIR 2023. This brief report provides an overview of ICTIR 2023 and introduces the student reviewer program, which provides an opportunity for the students to understand and contribute to the conference review process. Date : 23 July 2023. Website : https://sigir.org/ictir2023/.

Similarity-Based Interference in Sentence Comprehension in Aphasia: a Computational Evaluation of Two Models of Cue-Based Retrieval

Sentence comprehension requires the listener to link incoming words with short-term memory representations in order to build linguistic dependencies. The cue-based retrieval theory of sentence processing predicts that the retrieval of these memory representations is affected by similarity-based interference. We present the first large-scale computational evaluation of interference effects in two models of sentence processing — the activation-based model and a modification of the direct-access model — in individuals with aphasia (IWA) and control participants in German. The parameters of the models are linked to prominent theories of processing deficits in aphasia, and the models are tested against two linguistic constructions in German: pronoun resolution and relative clauses. The data come from a visual-world eye-tracking experiment combined with a sentence-picture matching task. The results show that both control participants and IWA are susceptible to retrieval interference, and that a combination of theoretical explanations (intermittent deficiencies, slow syntax, and resource reduction) can explain IWA’s deficits in sentence processing. Model comparisons reveal that both models have a similar predictive performance in pronoun resolution, but the activation-based model outperforms the direct-access model in relative clauses.

MHD: Mental Health Directory for Nigerian Schools

Nigeria has been considered to have the highest number of depression cases in Africa. Young people, such as secondary school students are not exempt. While this is meant to be a serious public health concern, topics around student mental health are still largely ignored. In fact, there exist little or no efforts around the deployment of technological tools to propagate knowledge and create awareness among students in many local communities. In this paper, I propose Mental Health Directory (MHD), a knowledge repository about mental health to help secondary schools better assist teachers and students who might want to learn more about mental illnesses in schools where the internet is not accessible. MHD was developed through the application of information retrieval theories to source and aggregate content from verified online sources. MHD is made publicly available online and offline for schools to utilise for the aforementioned benefit, and as well as a teaching aid, and support for students who might likely be suffering from mental illnesses.

Number feature distortion modulates cue-based retrieval in reading

In sentence comprehension, what are the cognitive constraints that determine number agreement computation? Two broad classes of theoretical proposals are: (i) Representation distortion accounts, which assume that the number feature on the subject noun gets overwritten probabilistically by the number feature on a non-subject noun, leading to a non-veridical memory trace of the subject noun; and (ii) The cue-based retrieval account, a general account of dependency completion processes which assumes that the features on the subject noun remain intact, and that processing difficulty is only a function of the memory constraints on dependency completion. However, both these classes of model fail to account for the full spectrum of number agreement patterns observed in published studies. Using 17 benchmark datasets on number agreement from four languages, we implement seven computational models: three variants of representation distortion, two cue-based retrieval models, and two hybrid models that assume both representation-distortion and retrieval. Quantitative model comparison shows that the best fit is achieved by a hybrid model that assumes both feature distortion (specifically, feature percolation) and cue-based retrieval; numerically, the second-best quantitative fit was achieved by a distortion-based model of number attraction that assumes grammaticality bias during reading. More broadly, the work furnishes comprehensive evidence to support the idea that cue-based retrieval theory, which aims to be a general account of dependency completion, needs to incorporate a feature distortion process.

Representationalism in Knowledge Organization and Information Retrieval: Cheer or Criticism?

The purpose of this paper is to critically analyze the representational approach to language using the concept of ‘Representationalism’ in philosophy and a new framework referred to in this paper as Information Retrieval Action (IRA). IRA is a theoretical construct based on Information Retrieval (IR) theory. Therefore, the methodology employed in this study is philosophical and speculative. It examines and discusses representationalism in both the mental (cognitive) and linguistic dimensions, incorporating concepts from the philosophy of mind and the philosophy of language as methodological approaches. ‘Concept’ and ‘Meaning’ emerge as two critical semantic elements when considering language as a semiotic phenomenon. Representationalism in IRA is rooted in logical positivism, which serves as the foundation for interpreting meaning and concept based on mental representation. In response, the paper proposes an alternative non-representational approach to the semantic elements of language (meaning and concept) based on the philosophy of pragmatism within the IRA framework. While the emergence of new technologies like ontologies implicitly criticizes representationalism in IRA, previous research has not explicitly addressed the theoretical and philosophical criticism of representationalism within the IRA framework.

Further advancing theories of retrieval of the personal past

Abstract In our target article, we presented the idea that involuntary autobiographical memories (IAMs) and déjà vu may both be based on the same retrieval processes. Our core claim was thus straightforward: Both can be described as “involuntary” or spontaneous cognitions, where IAMs deliver content and déjà vu delivers only the feeling of retrieval. Our proposal resulted in 27 commentaries covering a broad range of perspectives and approaches. The majority of them have not only amplified our key arguments but also pushed our ideas further by offering extensions, refinements, discussing possible implications and providing additional empirical, neuroscientific and clinical support. The discussion launched by the commentaries proves to us the importance of bringing IAMs and déjà vu into mainstream discussions of memory retrieval processes.

Individual Differences in Cue Weighting in Sentence Comprehension: An Evaluation Using Approximate Bayesian Computation.

Cue-based retrieval theories of sentence processing assume that syntactic dependencies are resolved through a content-addressable search process. An important recent claim is that in certain dependency types, the retrieval cues are weighted such that one cue dominates. This cue-weighting proposal aims to explain the observed average behavior, but here we show that there is systematic individual-level variation in cue weighting. Using the Lewis and Vasishth cue-based retrieval model, we estimated individual-level parameters for reading speed and cue weighting using 13 published datasets; hierarchical approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) was used to estimate the parameters. The modeling reveals a nuanced picture of cue weighting: we find support for the idea that some participants weight cues differentially, but not all participants do. Only fast readers tend to have the predicted higher weighting for structural cues, suggesting that reading proficiency (approximated here by reading speed) might be associated with cue weighting. A broader achievement of the work is to demonstrate how individual differences can be investigated in computational models of sentence processing without compromising the complexity of the model.

A Coupled BRDF CO2 Retrieval Method for the GF-5 GMI and Improvements in the Correction of Atmospheric Scattering

The Greenhouse Gases Monitoring Instrument (GMI), on board the Chinese Gaofen-5 (GF-5) satellite, provides rich observation data for the global remote sensing of atmospheric CO2. To meet the high-precision satellite retrieval needs of atmospheric CO2, this paper designs a coupled bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) CO2 retrieval (CBCR) method, which describes the surface reflectance characteristics by the BRDF, corrects for atmospheric scattering based on full physics retrieval theory, and ensures the stable retrieval of multiple parameters and atmospheric CO2 by enriching prior constraints. Theoretical analysis shows that the influence of atmospheric scattering induced by the surface bidirectional reflectance characteristics is significantly related to the aerosol optical depth (AOD), solar zenith angle (SZA), and viewing zenith angle (VZA). The validation of GMI CO2 retrievals shows that the CBCR method significantly reduced the influence of the surface bidirectional reflectance characteristics under high AOD and high SZA conditions, decreased the atmospheric CO2 retrieval error from 0.58 ± 5.64 ppm to −1.33 ± 3.13 ppm, and increased the correlation with the temporal variation of actual atmospheric CO2 from 34.7 to 76.8%. Our CBCR method can correct the influence of atmospheric scattering induced by the surface bidirectional reflectance characteristics on atmospheric CO2 retrieval, and this work demonstrates that describing the surface reflectance characteristics by using BRDF is a promising idea in the field of satellite CO2 retrievals.

Digitalization and Information Management Mechanism of Sports Events Based on Multisensor Node Cooperative Perception Model

In the process of developing major sports events, how to guide providers and users to provide and utilize the archives information resources of major sports events and realize the interaction between them is an important problem to be solved urgently in the development of major sports events and the archive service of major sports events. By analyzing the present situation of archive service of major sports events, especially the analysis of the opposite dependent subjects of service providers and users, we can see that the continuous development of archive services for major sports events will inevitably lead to constant changes in user groups and user needs, guided by the theory of information retrieval, knowledge management, and media effect. According to the service model of archive service of major sports events, the archive service model of specific sports events is constructed. In this paper, four kinds of event recommendation models are applied to the collected marathon event data for experiments. Through experimental comparison, the effectiveness of content-based recommendation algorithm technology in the event network data set is verified, and an algorithm model suitable for marathon event recommendation is obtained. Experiments show that the comprehensive event recommendation model based on term frequency–inverse document frequency (TF-IDF) text weight and Race2vec entry sequence has the best recommendation performance on marathon event data set. According to the recommendation target of the event and the characteristics of the event data type, we can choose a single or comprehensive recommendation algorithm to build a model to realize the event recommendation.

Customer Data Processing in Internet of Things Environments Using RFM Analysis and K-means Clustering

Businesses, shops, banks, and other types of organizations all engage in cutthroat competition today. The retrieval techniques are responsible for arranging, processing, and listing the documents in the corpus in response to the user query. The strategies are distinct from one another in any of the processes stated above. As a result, the body of published work is crammed full of different retrieval theories and strategies. It is possible to combine the advantageous aspects of several different strategies to improve the retrieval systems' overall performance. Once again, the success of the merging process is dependent on the careful selection of the separate schemes that will be merged together. The selection process is carried out using optimization-seeking tools. The Genetic Algorithm is going to be used for this job. Using GA as the instrument and with the intention of evaluating both the even and the odd point crossover's effects, The odd and even point crossover is primarily employed as an exploratory tool, and its influence on the Internet of Things is evaluated throughout the information retrieval process. The enormous combination that results from the fusion function retrieval strategies and their weights may be understood as follows: The investigation is the only thing that can help us find the best answer out of all of these possible permutations. As a method of investigation, we made use of both odd and even point crossing. This exploration tool has a lack of convergence, which is a setback. It is possible to get a higher convergence rate by combining the genetic algorithm with tabu search, which is the best local search. In a scenario like this one, customer segmentation may be helpful in bringing in new customers while also helping to keep the ones you already have. An effective customer segmentation strategy for a business splits consumers into groups based on the RFM (Recency, Frequency, and Monitor) values of the Monitors. These groups have behavior in common. This will be of use to us in determining the possible customers for the firm. Following the completion of an RFM analysis, we use a conventional k-means method in order to extend the scope of the research to include clusters. Maintaining positive relationships with customers makes it much easier to market effectively to certain demographics of consumers, which in turn helps bolster a company's competitive position.

Chapter 18 - Neural correlates of recognition and naming of famous persons and landmarks: A special role for the left anterior temporal lobe

The anterior temporal lobes (ATLs) have been shown to be crucial for recognition and naming of unique entities such as persons and places. In this chapter, we review previous research that identified the neural underpinnings of these processes, and discuss the convergence zone theory of conceptual knowledge and proper name retrieval. Lesion-deficit and neuroimaging studies have found that the temporal poles are essential for recognition and naming of unique persons and places. Research has shown laterality, in that the right anterior temporal pole is specialized for recognition and the left for naming. Here, we analyzed recognition and naming of persons and landmarks in a large neurologic sample (N=244) using the Iowa Famous Faces and Famous Landmarks tests. For both categories, education had a significant effect on recognition and naming performances, but age and gender did not. Lesion-symptom maps revealed lower naming scores for both Faces and Landmarks associated with lesions to the anterior and mesial left temporal lobe. Lower recognition scores were also linked to left temporal lobe damage, possibly due to the method we used for measuring recognition (verbally based). Overall, the results demonstrate the importance of the temporal lobes for recognition and naming of unique persons and places.

The effects of multiple linguistic variables on picture naming in American Sign Language.

Picture-naming tasks provide critical data for theories of lexical representation and retrieval and have been performed successfully in sign languages. However, the specific influences of lexical or phonological factors and stimulus properties on sign retrieval are poorly understood. To examine lexical retrieval in American Sign Language (ASL), we conducted a timed picture-naming study using 524 pictures (272 objects and 251 actions). We also compared ASL naming with previous data for spoken English for a subset of 425 pictures. Deaf ASL signers named object pictures faster and more consistently than action pictures, as previously reported for English speakers. Lexical frequency, iconicity, better name agreement, and lower phonological complexity each facilitated naming reaction times (RT)s. RTs were also faster for pictures named with shorter signs (measured by average response duration). Target name agreement was higher for pictures with more iconic and shorter ASL names. The visual complexity of pictures slowed RTs and decreased target name agreement. RTs and target name agreement were correlated for ASL and English, but agreement was lower for ASL, possibly due to the English bias of the pictures. RTs were faster for ASL, which we attributed to a smaller lexicon. Overall, the results suggest that models of lexical retrieval developed for spoken languages can be adopted for signed languages, with the exception that iconicity should be included as a factor. The open-source picture-naming data set for ASL serves as an important, first-of-its-kind resource for researchers, educators, or clinicians for a variety of research, instructional, or assessment purposes.

A Novel Development of TRIZ-Analogic Construction Interface Problem Identification and Solutions Framework

One of the critical factors of project success is the interface management. Past project interface management mainly relies on knowledge and experience of the project managers. The existing studies of project interface management also mainly focused on the definition and the classification of project interfaces. There is no workable and flexible framework for construction interface problem identification and solutions. This study conducted an analogic study of contradiction matrix at Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) to develop such a framework. This research collected around six hundred interface management cases from civil works and building projects. For comparison, this research defined an experimental group (TRIZ case) and a control group (experience-oriented solution case) based on the concept of clinical experiments in medical science to evaluate and improve the rationality of the matrix. Subsequently, based upon the theory of information retrieval (IR), this research conducted statistical evaluation and TRIZ features remedies to develop generalized construction interface problem identification and solutions. For solving project management interface problems, the TRIZ-analogic construction interface problem identification and solutions framework provides a systematic approach to develop more robust solutions for interface problems in construction engineering rather than just simply relying on intuitive experience.