Insensitivity to truth-value in negated sentences: does linear distance matter?

Authors

  • Sol Lago Goethe University Frankfurt https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4966-1913
  • Petra Schulz Goethe University Frankfurt
  • Esther Rinke Goethe University Frankfurt
  • Elise Oltrogge Goethe University Frankfurt
  • Carolin Dudschig University of Tübingen
  • Barbara Kaup University of Tübingen

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3765/elm.3.5797

Keywords:

negation, linear distance, truth-value, sentence-picture matching, comprehension, German

Abstract

Affirmative sentences are comprehended more quickly when they are true vs. false but this facilitation is often reduced or absent in negative sentences, yielding a so-called negation-by-truth-value interaction. The reduced sensitivity to truth-value has been attributed to processing difficulties triggered by negation. We investigated whether difficulties such as these were eased when comprehenders were given more time to process the negator. Specifically, we compared negated sentences in which the negator immediately preceded an adjectival predicate vs. occurred earlier in the sentence, separated by several words from the predicate. The results of two sentence-picture matching tasks replicated previous findings of increased processing difficulties in negative vs. affirmative sentences, as well as the negation-by-truth-value interaction. However, we did not find evidence that sensitivity to truth-value was modulated by the distance between the negator and the predicate. Our findings suggest that, when sentences are presented in isolation, having more time to process a negator does not confer a measurable comprehension advantage.

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Published

2025-01-24

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Section

Articles