Scholarlink

<p>Comprehending language in real time requires the brain to keep pace with ambiguous, variable and often noisy input. One way in which individuals address this challenge is by actively predicting (generating and/or selecting) what might occur next. However, prediction is not a unitary mechanism and is not engaged uniformly among individuals or across&#xa0;the lifespan. In this Review, we examine predictive mechanisms across the lifespan, synthesizing evidence from children, young adults and older adults to show how different aspects of prediction are deployed under different developmental and processing conditions. Viewed developmentally, differences in prediction have multifaceted roots that reflect the joint influence of cognitive resources, linguistic experience and the momentary utility of predictive engagement. Prediction is not an invariant hallmark of comprehension but a dynamically configured system, whose components are selectively engaged to meet the functional demands of language use across life.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Prediction in language comprehension across the lifespan

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年8月3日

查看全文
  • Kara D. Federmeier,
  • Hui-Sun Chiu,
  • Cynthia L. Fisher,
  • Yukun Yu

摘要

Comprehending language in real time requires the brain to keep pace with ambiguous, variable and often noisy input. One way in which individuals address this challenge is by actively predicting (generating and/or selecting) what might occur next. However, prediction is not a unitary mechanism and is not engaged uniformly among individuals or across the lifespan. In this Review, we examine predictive mechanisms across the lifespan, synthesizing evidence from children, young adults and older adults to show how different aspects of prediction are deployed under different developmental and processing conditions. Viewed developmentally, differences in prediction have multifaceted roots that reflect the joint influence of cognitive resources, linguistic experience and the momentary utility of predictive engagement. Prediction is not an invariant hallmark of comprehension but a dynamically configured system, whose components are selectively engaged to meet the functional demands of language use across life.