Netherlands

Round numbers are often interpreted approximately (Krifka, 2002), with &quot;pragmatic halos&quot; (Lasersohn, 1999) that encompass multiple permissible values. For example, stating &quot;there were 200 people at the meeting&quot; would be acceptable even if the exact count were 197 or 204. In line with the idea that larger numbers have more approximate representations (e.g., Cheyette &amp; Piantadosi, 2020), we demonstrate that rounding and pragmatic halos are magnitude-dependent. First, an analysis of every single number in two large corpora (COCA, BNC) shows that indicators of rounding predict frequency (cf. Woodin et al., 2023), but crucially in interaction with magnitude, with round numbers over-represented for larger magnitudes. Second, we show that jigsaw puzzles often systematically deviate from what is advertised on the box in a way that depends on magnitude, e.g., a 1,000-piece puzzle may contain 1,024 pieces, whereas a 50-piece puzzle is more likely to contain the stated value exactly.

**Authors:**

Bodo Winter: University of Birmingham; Greg Woodin: University of Birmingham; Alexandra Lorson: University of Groningen

CogSci 2024

Rounding and magnitude: Pragmatic halos are bigger for larger numbers

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Welcome to the 2024 Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society in Rotterdam! CogSci 2024 brings together a large community of cognitive scientists who have traveled here from around the world, as well as a smaller group of remote presenters. I would like to extend an especially warm welcome to our first-time CogSci meeting attendees, and hope that 
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The 46th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society presents the latest research across cognitive science and highlights the theme of Cognition in Context.

Round numbers are often interpreted approximately (Krifka, 2002), with "pragmatic halos" (Lasersohn, 1999) that encompass multiple permissible values. For example, stating "there were 200 people at the meeting" would be acceptable even if the exact count were 197 or 204. In line with the idea that larger numbers have more approximate representations (e.g., Cheyette & Piantadosi, 2020), we demonstrate that rounding and pragmatic halos are magnitude-dependent. First, an analysis of every single number in two large corpora (COCA, BNC) shows that indicators of rounding predict frequency (cf. Woodin et al., 2023), but crucially in interaction with magnitude, with round numbers over-represented for larger magnitudes. Second, we show that jigsaw puzzles often systematically deviate from what is advertised on the box in a way that depends on magnitude, e.g., a 1,000-piece puzzle may contain 1,024 pieces, whereas a 50-piece puzzle is more likely to contain the stated value exactly.

**Authors:**

Bodo Winter: University of Birmingham; Greg Woodin: University of Birmingham; Alexandra Lorson: University of Groningen

poster

Is it tautological to call an action “wrongful discrimination?” Some philosophers and political theorists answer this question in the affirmative and claim that the term “discrimination” is intrinsically evaluative. Others agree that “discrimination” usually conveys the action’s moral wrongness but claim that the term can be used in a purely descriptive way. According to such a view, the negative evaluation is only pragmatically, not lexically conveyed. In this paper, we present two corpus studies and two experiments designed to test whether the folk concept of discrimination is evaluative. We demonstrate that the term has undergone a historical development and is nowadays no longer used purely descriptively. Further, we show that this evaluation cannot be cancelled without yielding a contradiction. We conclude that the descriptive use of “discriminatory” is a thing of the past.

**Authors:**

Pascale Willemsen: University of Zurich; Simone Sommer Degn: Aalborg University; Jan García Olier: University of Zurich; Kevin Reuter: University of Zurich

“Wrongful discrimination” - a tautological claim? An empirical study of the evaluative dimension of discrimination vocabulary

Quotational constructions as in 'This phenomenon is called “moonbow”' involve predicates like call and are used to introduce a lexicalized word, i.e. “moonbow”, to the addressee. The name of a lexicalized concept is mentioned which is why we refer to this type of sentential construction as a name-mentioning construction (NMC). Although there is substantial philosophical research on the notion of quotation, empirical evidence is sparse. In our empirical investigation, we use eye-tracking data to look into the nature of the processing of quotation marks in NMCs. The results of Linear Mixed Models indicate that there is no statistically significant difference for early eye-tracking measures, but a significant effect for the expression in the target Interest Area Dwell Time. Words enclosed in quotation marks are processed longer than target words without quotes. We argue that our findings suggest the involvement of higher cognitive processes in the processing of quotes.

**Authors:**

Natascha Raue: University of Kassel; Holden Haertl: University of Kassel; Alvaro Cortés Rodríguez: University of Potsdam

Evidence from eye-tracking on the processing of quotation marks in German

Experimental studies show that the tendency to derive Scalar Implicatures (SIs) varies considerably between individuals: some individuals accept sentences that are literally true but carry a false SI, while others systematically reject them. The question of what factors drive these differences is crucial to understanding the mechanisms involved in SIs and currently at the center of numerous discussions. To date, there is no agreement on how to quantify individual differences in SI rates. 
In this article, we show how a hierarchical Bayesian modelling approach can be used to quantify subjects' preferences observed in the results of a truth value judgement task that investigated intra-individual and inter-individual variability in the rates of upper-bounding and lower-bounding SIs associated with the <some, all>-scale.
The results show that SI strength is partially modulated within individuals by certain linguistic features, such as the presence of negation.

**Authors:**

Sonia Ramotowska: University of Amsterdam; Paul Marty: University of Malta; Leendert van Maanen: Utrecht University; Yasutada Sudo: University College London

Some but not all speakers sometimes but not always derive scalar implicatures

Rhyme is widely considered to be a powerful mnemonic device that facilitates cognitive processing. Previous studies examined rhyme-perception development mainly in the case of children, while the analyses of information-recall processes in the adult population are scarce. It has been shown that rhyme and memory are closely connected in culture transmission procedures, which emphasises the demand for research on whether and how the adult population’s recall ability is enhanced by rhymes. The present study investigates whether rhyming words are more likely to be recalled than non-rhyming ones. Results suggest that rhymes affect the memory consolidation of both real-words and pseudowords in a group of adult subjects (N = 38). The research potentially elucidates the relation between both short- and long-term memory and rhyme. By gaining insight into the patterns of recalling and rhyme, into the processes of cognitive poetics, it may be possible to derive more general conclusions about cognition.

**Authors:**

Klára E. Finta: University of Vienna; Tecumseh Fitch: University of Vienna

Do Rhymes Enhance Memory Processes? Real word and pseudoword recall in rhyming conditions

This research investigates the advantages and roles of bilingualism in Indian school children with low vision impairment. Bilingualism, especially in a multilingual nation like India, may provide significant cognitive, social, and educational benefits. These advantages are considerably more apparent in children with modest visual impairments. The study focuses on a sample group of 100 school-aged children with varied degrees of low vision impairment and investigates how bilingual education influences their learning and social integration. The research uses both qualitative and quantitative approaches to evaluate cognitive development, language competency, and social interaction abilities in a bilingual setting. The findings show that bilingualism increases not just linguistic capabilities but also cognitive flexibility, problem-solving ability, and social empathy in young children. This study contends that bilingual education should be an essential component of the curriculum for visually impaired students in India, promoting their general development and integration into society. The results have major implications for educational policies and practices involving special needs children in multilingual settings.

**Authors:**

Male Shiva Ram M.S, PhD: University of Hyderabad; PHANI KRISHNA: University of Delhi; Baskar Theagarayan: University of Huddersfield

The Benefits and Role of Bilingualism in Indian Schoolchildren with Low Vision Impairment.

Generics have been presented as a window onto children’s concepts. Studies have documented the
facilitating effect of generics on inductive reasoning in children, particularly, that this effect is sensitive to
both age and domain of knowledge (natural kinds vs artifacts). The present study builds on Gelman (2002)
who compared how 3 to 5 years old children generalized novel properties about familiar categories,
contrasting the use of generics or specific quantifiers. We also expand Gelman’s work by measuring
interindividual variability and by disentangling the respective influence of conceptual development and
quantifiers understanding on induction performance. We enriched Gelman’s materials with food stimuli.
Crucially, we measured food neophobia disposition to determine if the later interferes with the facilitation
effect of generics on induction, as previous work has consistently shown that food neophobia interferes
with conceptual development in the food domain (Rioux et al., 2017). We also added a quantifier
understanding task adapted from (Gelman et al., 2016) to determine whether neophobic children’s
hypothesized poor performance in the task resulted from an immature conceptual system about food
and/or because they simply failed to understand the quantifiers. Results obtained shed light on the
psychological barriers to the development of food literacy in children which is of crucial importance for
dietary variety and children’s cognitive and physical development.

**Authors:**

Sabrina Boulkour: Université de Bourgogne; Jean-Pierre Thibaut: University of Bourgogne Franche-Comté; Lafraire Jérémie: Institut Paul Bocuse

The facilitating effect of generics on inductive reasoning in 3 to 5 years old children: interindividual variability and domain-specificity

Animacy is prevalent in as a semantic basis for noun classification systems (i.e., grammatical gender, noun classes and classifiers), but colour is completely absent, despite its visual salience. The absence of colour in such systems is sometimes argued to suggest domain-specific constraints on what is grammatically encodable. Here, we investigate whether this tendency could instead be explained by the superior predictive power of animacy (i.e., the degree to which it predicts other features) compared to colour. In a series of experiments, we find that animacy-based noun classes are learned better than colour-based ones. However, when participants are encouraged, by manipulating predictive power, to sort images based on colour, they are worse at learning animacy-based noun classes. The results suggest the animacy bias in grammar may have its roots in domain-general categorisation principles. They further serve as evidence for the role of cognitive biases in constraining cross-linguistic variation.

**Authors:**

Ponrawee Prasertsom: University of Edinburgh; Kenny Smith: University of Edinburgh; Jennifer Culbertson: University of Edinburgh

Domain-general categorisation principles explain the prevalence of animacy and absence of colour in noun classification systems

Abstract:
Language for communicating in a particular context is denoted as Pragmatics, in typical population pragmatics improve with age. A variety of measures have been developed in order to assess these skills however there is a need for a Hindi task to evaluate the progressing comprehension of pragmatics in north Indian children.
This study is an attempt to construct a Hindi pragmatics video-based task (HPVT). An experimental design was utilized in which impact of change in age is studied on pragmatics. The study encompasses creation of novel videos, standardization and administration of task and formulation of a comprehensive checklist for systematic evaluation. The study also explores the relationship between pragmatics and the theory of mind (ToM).
Method:
In order to construct the task scripts were shortlisted based on prior research and children were selected to act in videos. Each video was followed by two memory questions and one target question to map pragmatics development of 5- to 10-year-old children. The performance was scored using a checklist, ToM was assessed using first order false belief story narration with pictures. Parents rated these children on Pragmatic Abilities Questionnaire by Jafari et al. (2019) for establishing concurrent validity and content validity of HPVT. Face validity and inter-rater reliability was stablished using subject matter experts.
Result:
The performance of children in HPVT demonstrated an upward trajectory with age using linear regression b=.80, t (50) =11.11, p <.001. A significant equation was found F(1, 49) = 123.468, p< .000, with an R square of .636. Impactful result demonstrates positive relationship in measured Pragmatics and ToM. The standardization of the task was stablished. 
Conclusions:
The HPVT task has some great properties and is unique however it took lengthy amount of time to administer and the questions need to be edited for accurately measuring pragmatics. The task can be used in the educational practices and interventions aimed at enhancing pragmatic language skills in those with Social Pragmatic Disorder (SPD).
Keywords: Pragmatic Understanding, Child Development, Experimental Approach, Video-Based Tools, Standardization, Subject Matter Expert Ratings.

**Authors:**

Afreen Fatima: University of Delhi; Nandita Babu: University of Delhi

Development of Hindi Pragmatic Language Skills in Indian Children

A speaker’s use of language is one of the most important indicators in detecting deception. To date, however, little research has focused on grammatical cues used in deceitful statements. One such cue is evidentiality which is the grammatical encoding for the source of information; i.e., whether the speaker has direct or indirect access to what they assert. This study investigates whether and how evidentiality coding in Turkish, an evidential language, interacts with producing deceitful and truthful narratives. Deceptive retellings were notably longer and syntactically more complex compared to truthful counterparts. Our hypothesis of increased past forms in deception was confirmed, alongside a heightened use of direct evidential inflection (-dI) in deceptive conditions. This exploration sheds light on the nuanced relationship between grammatical evidentiality and deceptive language use.

**Authors:**

Cagla Aydin: Sabanci University; Dr Seçkin Arslan: Université Côte d'Azur; Selma Berfin Tanis: Sabanci University; Şeyma Kalender: Sabanci University; Ayberk Kaan Güneş: Sabancı University

“They Say” Makes Good Liars: An Investigation on Evidentiality in Language and Deception

Languages across the world organize semantic categories in many ways. Research in semantic typology and efficient communication has shown that languages tend to be shaped by pressures for communicative efficiency. It was recently proposed, in addition to this principle of efficiency, that the cross-linguistic prevalence of a system is explained by considering and formalizing the Typological Prevalence Hypothesis. This recent research found that the interaction between communicative and developmental pressures infers the prevalence of color-naming systems across the world better than phylogenetic relatedness alone. However, it is not yet clear whether the information-theoretic framework developed by the authors can explain the typological prevalence of non-perceptual categories. Therefore, we extend this model to kinship systems to test if this formalization of the Typological Prevalence Hypothesis can generalize to other semantic domains.

**Authors:**

Jules Torgue: The University of Edinburgh; Rosalind Owen: University of Edinburgh; Francis Mollica: University of Melbourne

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