Understanding Noun Phrases

Onc vicw ol sentcnce comprehension is that word meanings are retrieved independently and then combined: another v iew is that the retr ieved meanings fbr words are context dependent and thus different in differer.rt sentences. To eramine retrieval of a noun's meaning in the context ofan adjective. spoken sentences were probed with a picture. Subjects were instructed to respond positively ifthe picture illustrated a noun in the sentence (e.g.. /ior.se). regardless ofother information in the sentence (burning hou.;e) or in the picture. Even when the probe appeared immediately after an adjectile noun pair, an atypical picturc incorporating the adjective was responded to more rapid ly than a more typical p icture. The resul ts suggest hat a noun's meaning is retrieved in conjunction with thc adjective. not independently, when the phrase describes a familiar concept ion such as a burning house.