Falk Huettig
Biographic Data
| ID | 1666259 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Falk Huettig |
| GIVEN NAMES | Falk |
| FAMILY NAME | Huettig |
| SIGNATURE | HUETTIG F |
| AFFILIATIONS | Radboud University Nijmegen |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-9135-4178 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 22 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 32 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 22 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2010 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Child heritage speakers’ reading skills in the majority language and exposure to the heritage language support morphosyntactic prediction in speech
We examined the morphosyntactic prediction ability of child heritage speakers and the role of reading skills and language experience in predictive processing. Using visual world eye-tracking, we focused on predictive use of case-marking cues in Turkish with monolingual (N = 49, M AGE = 83 months) and heritage children, who were early bilinguals of Turkish and Dutch (N = 30, M AGE = 90 months). We found quantitative differences in the magnitude of…
The true colors of reading: Literacy enhances lexical-semantic processing in rapid automatized and discrete object naming
Semantic knowledge is a defining property of human cognition, profoundly influenced by cultural experiences. In this study, we investigated whether literacy enhances lexical-semantic processing independently of schooling. Three groups of neurotypical adults - unschooled illiterates, unschooled ex-illiterates, and schooled literates - from the same residential and socioeconomic background in Portugal were tested on serial rapid automatized naming …
The Myth of Normal Reading
We argue that the educational and psychological sciences must embrace the diversity of reading rather than chase the phantom of normal reading behavior. We critically discuss the research practice of asking participants in experiments to read “normally.” We then draw attention to the large cross-cultural and linguistic diversity around the world and consider the enormous diversity of reading situations and goals. Finally, we observe that people b…
Do autistic children differ in language-mediated prediction
children. Past research exploring language-mediated anticipatory eye movements in autistic children, however, has been somewhat contradictory, with some studies finding normal anticipatory processing in autistic children with low levels of autistic traits but others observing weaker prediction effects in autistic children with less receptive language skills. Here we investigated language-mediated anticipatory eye movements in young children who d…
Prediction in challenging situations: Most bilinguals can predict upcoming semantically-related words in their L1 source language when interpreting
Prediction is an important part of language processing. An open question is to what extent people predict language in challenging circumstances. Here we tested the limits of prediction by asking bilingual Dutch native speakers to interpret Dutch sentences into their English counterparts. In two visual world experiments, we recorded participants’ eye movements to co-present visual objects while they engaged in interpreting tasks (consecutive and s…
A pre-registered, multi-lab non-replication of the action-sentence compatibility effect (ACE)
The Action-sentence Compatibility Effect (ACE) is a well-known demonstration of the role of motor activity in the comprehension of language. Participants are asked to make sensibility judgments on sentences by producing movements toward the body or away from the body. The ACE is the finding that movements are faster when the direction of the movement (e.g., toward ) matches the direction of the action in the to-be-judged sentence (e.g., Art gave …
A parallel architecture perspective on pre-activation and prediction in language processing
A recent trend in psycholinguistic research has been to posit prediction as an essential function of language processing. The present paper develops a linguistic perspective on viewing prediction in terms of pre-activation. We describe what predictions are and how they are produced. Our basic premises are that (a) no prediction can be made without knowledge to support it; and (b) it is therefore necessary to characterize the precise form of that …
The role of the written script in shaping mirror-image discrimination: Evidence from illiterate, Tamil literate, and Tamil-Latin-alphabet bi-literate adults
Functional illiteracy and developmental dyslexia: Looking for common roots. A systematic review
A considerable amount of the population in more economically developed countries are functionally illiterate (i.e., low literate). Despite some years of schooling and basic reading skills, these individuals cannot properly read and write and, as a consequence have problems to understand even short texts. An often-discussed approach (Greenberg et al. 1997) assumes weak phonological processing skills coupled with untreated developmental dyslexia as…
The literate mind
Homo sapiens ' ability to invent and culturally transmit technologies has had an enormous impact on planet earth. Human technologies, ranging from starting a fire, stone tools, farming and the wheel, to genetic engineering and deep learning networks, have reshaped all aspects of our lives. One such technology, writing, invented about six thousand years ago in Mesopotamia, has played a particularly key role. It is difficult to overstate its import…
Do illiterates have illusions? A conceptual (non)replication of Luria (1976)
Luria (Luria, Cognitive development: Its cultural and social foundations, Harvard University Press, 1976) famously observed that people who never learnt to read and write do not perceive visual illusions. We conducted a conceptual replication of the Luria study of the effect of literacy on the processing of visual illusions. We designed two carefully controlled experiments with 161 participants with varying literacy levels ranging from complete i…
Syntactic priming in illiterate and literate older Chinese adults
Are there core and peripheral syntactic structures? Experimental evidence from Dutch native speakers with varying literacy levels
Proficiency modulates between- but not within-language structural priming
The oldest of the Celtic language family, Irish differs considerably from English, notably with respect to word order and case marking. In spite of differences in surface constituent structure, less restricted accounts of bilingual shared syntax predict that processing datives and passives in Irish should prime the production of their English equivalents. Furthermore, this cross-linguistic influence should be sensitive to L2 proficiency, if share…
Large-scale replication study reveals a limit on probabilistic prediction in language comprehension
Do people routinely pre-activate the meaning and even the phonological form of upcoming words? The most acclaimed evidence for phonological prediction comes from a 2005 Nature Neuroscience publication by DeLong, Urbach and Kutas, who observed a graded modulation of electrical brain potentials (N400) to nouns and preceding articles by the probability that people use a word to continue the sentence fragment (‘cloze’). In our direct replication stud…
Individual differences in working memory and processing speed predict anticipatory spoken language processing in the visual world
Several mechanisms of predictive language processing have been proposed. The possible influence of mediating factors such as working memory and processing speed, however, has largely been ignored. We sought to find evidence for such an influence using an individual differences approach. 105 participants from 32–77 years of age received spoken instructions (e.g. “Kijk naar deCOM afgebeelde pianoCOM”– look at the displayed piano) while viewing 4 ob…
Four central questions about prediction in language processing
How Literacy Acquisition Affects the Illiterate Mind - A Critical Examination of Theories and Evidence
At present, more than one-fifth of humanity is unable to read and write. We critically examine experimental evidence and theories of how (il)literacy affects the human mind. In our discussion, we show that literacy has significant cognitive consequences that go beyond the processing of written words and sentences. Thus, cultural inventions such as reading shape general cognitive processing in non-trivial ways. We suggest that this has important i…
How yellow is your banana? Toddlers' language-mediated visual search in referent-present tasks
What is the relative salience of different aspects of word meaning in the developing lexicon? The current study examines the time-course of retrieval of semantic and color knowledge associated with words during toddler word recognition: At what point do toddlers orient toward an image of a yellow cup upon hearing color-matching words such as "banana" (typically yellow) relative to unrelated words (e.g., "house")? Do children orient faster to sema…
Individual Differences in the Acquisition of a Complex L2 Phonology: A Training Study
Many learners of a foreign language (L2) struggle to correctly pronounce newly learned speech sounds, yet many others achieve this with apparent ease. Here we explored how a training study of learning complex consonant clusters at the very onset of L2 acquisition can inform us about L2 learning in general and individual differences in particular. To this end, adult Dutch native speakers were trained on Slovak words with complex consonant clusters…
Using the visual world paradigm to study language processing: A review and critical evaluation
We describe the key features of the visual world paradigm and review the main research areas where it has been used. In our discussion we highlight that the paradigm provides information about the way language users integrate linguistic information with information derived from the visual environment. Therefore the paradigm is well suited to study one of the key issues of current cognitive psychology, namely the interplay between linguistic and v…
Do Language-Specific Categories Shape Conceptual Processing? Mandarin Classifier Distinctions Influence Eye Gaze Behavior, but only During Linguistic Processing
In two eye-tracking studies we investigated the influence of Mandarin numeral classifiers – a grammatical category in the language – on online overt attention. Mandarin speakers were presented with simple sentences through headphones while their eye-movements to objects presented on a computer screen were monitored. The crucial question is what participants look at while listening to a pre-specified target noun. If classifier categories influence…
How Literacy Acquisition Affects the Illiterate Mind - A Critical Examination of Theories and Evidence
At present, more than one-fifth of humanity is unable to read and write. We critically examine experimental evidence and theories of how (il)literacy affects the human mind. In our discussion, we show that literacy has significant cognitive consequences that go beyond the processing of written words and sentences. Thus, cultural inventions such as reading shape general cognitive processing in non-trivial ways. We suggest that this has important i…
Individual Differences in the Acquisition of a Complex L2 Phonology: A Training Study
Many learners of a foreign language (L2) struggle to correctly pronounce newly learned speech sounds, yet many others achieve this with apparent ease. Here we explored how a training study of learning complex consonant clusters at the very onset of L2 acquisition can inform us about L2 learning in general and individual differences in particular. To this end, adult Dutch native speakers were trained on Slovak words with complex consonant clusters…
Proficiency modulates between- but not within-language structural priming
The oldest of the Celtic language family, Irish differs considerably from English, notably with respect to word order and case marking. In spite of differences in surface constituent structure, less restricted accounts of bilingual shared syntax predict that processing datives and passives in Irish should prime the production of their English equivalents. Furthermore, this cross-linguistic influence should be sensitive to L2 proficiency, if share…
How yellow is your banana? Toddlers' language-mediated visual search in referent-present tasks
What is the relative salience of different aspects of word meaning in the developing lexicon? The current study examines the time-course of retrieval of semantic and color knowledge associated with words during toddler word recognition: At what point do toddlers orient toward an image of a yellow cup upon hearing color-matching words such as "banana" (typically yellow) relative to unrelated words (e.g., "house")? Do children orient faster to sema…
Syntactic priming in illiterate and literate older Chinese adults
Do Language-Specific Categories Shape Conceptual Processing? Mandarin Classifier Distinctions Influence Eye Gaze Behavior, but only During Linguistic Processing
In two eye-tracking studies we investigated the influence of Mandarin numeral classifiers – a grammatical category in the language – on online overt attention. Mandarin speakers were presented with simple sentences through headphones while their eye-movements to objects presented on a computer screen were monitored. The crucial question is what participants look at while listening to a pre-specified target noun. If classifier categories influence…
The literate mind
Homo sapiens ' ability to invent and culturally transmit technologies has had an enormous impact on planet earth. Human technologies, ranging from starting a fire, stone tools, farming and the wheel, to genetic engineering and deep learning networks, have reshaped all aspects of our lives. One such technology, writing, invented about six thousand years ago in Mesopotamia, has played a particularly key role. It is difficult to overstate its import…
Do illiterates have illusions? A conceptual (non)replication of Luria (1976)
Luria (Luria, Cognitive development: Its cultural and social foundations, Harvard University Press, 1976) famously observed that people who never learnt to read and write do not perceive visual illusions. We conducted a conceptual replication of the Luria study of the effect of literacy on the processing of visual illusions. We designed two carefully controlled experiments with 161 participants with varying literacy levels ranging from complete i…
Are there core and peripheral syntactic structures? Experimental evidence from Dutch native speakers with varying literacy levels
Do Language-Specific Categories Shape Conceptual Processing? Mandarin Classifier Distinctions Influence Eye Gaze Behavior, but only During Linguistic Processing
In two eye-tracking studies we investigated the influence of Mandarin numeral classifiers – a grammatical category in the language – on online overt attention. Mandarin speakers were presented with simple sentences through headphones while their eye-movements to objects presented on a computer screen were monitored. The crucial question is what participants look at while listening to a pre-specified target noun. If classifier categories influence…
Using the visual world paradigm to study language processing: A review and critical evaluation
We describe the key features of the visual world paradigm and review the main research areas where it has been used. In our discussion we highlight that the paradigm provides information about the way language users integrate linguistic information with information derived from the visual environment. Therefore the paradigm is well suited to study one of the key issues of current cognitive psychology, namely the interplay between linguistic and v…
Individual Differences in the Acquisition of a Complex L2 Phonology: A Training Study
Many learners of a foreign language (L2) struggle to correctly pronounce newly learned speech sounds, yet many others achieve this with apparent ease. Here we explored how a training study of learning complex consonant clusters at the very onset of L2 acquisition can inform us about L2 learning in general and individual differences in particular. To this end, adult Dutch native speakers were trained on Slovak words with complex consonant clusters…
How yellow is your banana? Toddlers' language-mediated visual search in referent-present tasks
What is the relative salience of different aspects of word meaning in the developing lexicon? The current study examines the time-course of retrieval of semantic and color knowledge associated with words during toddler word recognition: At what point do toddlers orient toward an image of a yellow cup upon hearing color-matching words such as "banana" (typically yellow) relative to unrelated words (e.g., "house")? Do children orient faster to sema…
How Literacy Acquisition Affects the Illiterate Mind - A Critical Examination of Theories and Evidence
At present, more than one-fifth of humanity is unable to read and write. We critically examine experimental evidence and theories of how (il)literacy affects the human mind. In our discussion, we show that literacy has significant cognitive consequences that go beyond the processing of written words and sentences. Thus, cultural inventions such as reading shape general cognitive processing in non-trivial ways. We suggest that this has important i…
Four central questions about prediction in language processing
Individual differences in working memory and processing speed predict anticipatory spoken language processing in the visual world
Several mechanisms of predictive language processing have been proposed. The possible influence of mediating factors such as working memory and processing speed, however, has largely been ignored. We sought to find evidence for such an influence using an individual differences approach. 105 participants from 32–77 years of age received spoken instructions (e.g. “Kijk naar deCOM afgebeelde pianoCOM”– look at the displayed piano) while viewing 4 ob…
Large-scale replication study reveals a limit on probabilistic prediction in language comprehension
Do people routinely pre-activate the meaning and even the phonological form of upcoming words? The most acclaimed evidence for phonological prediction comes from a 2005 Nature Neuroscience publication by DeLong, Urbach and Kutas, who observed a graded modulation of electrical brain potentials (N400) to nouns and preceding articles by the probability that people use a word to continue the sentence fragment (‘cloze’). In our direct replication stud…
Proficiency modulates between- but not within-language structural priming
The oldest of the Celtic language family, Irish differs considerably from English, notably with respect to word order and case marking. In spite of differences in surface constituent structure, less restricted accounts of bilingual shared syntax predict that processing datives and passives in Irish should prime the production of their English equivalents. Furthermore, this cross-linguistic influence should be sensitive to L2 proficiency, if share…
The role of the written script in shaping mirror-image discrimination: Evidence from illiterate, Tamil literate, and Tamil-Latin-alphabet bi-literate adults
Functional illiteracy and developmental dyslexia: Looking for common roots. A systematic review
A considerable amount of the population in more economically developed countries are functionally illiterate (i.e., low literate). Despite some years of schooling and basic reading skills, these individuals cannot properly read and write and, as a consequence have problems to understand even short texts. An often-discussed approach (Greenberg et al. 1997) assumes weak phonological processing skills coupled with untreated developmental dyslexia as…
The literate mind
Homo sapiens ' ability to invent and culturally transmit technologies has had an enormous impact on planet earth. Human technologies, ranging from starting a fire, stone tools, farming and the wheel, to genetic engineering and deep learning networks, have reshaped all aspects of our lives. One such technology, writing, invented about six thousand years ago in Mesopotamia, has played a particularly key role. It is difficult to overstate its import…
Do illiterates have illusions? A conceptual (non)replication of Luria (1976)
Luria (Luria, Cognitive development: Its cultural and social foundations, Harvard University Press, 1976) famously observed that people who never learnt to read and write do not perceive visual illusions. We conducted a conceptual replication of the Luria study of the effect of literacy on the processing of visual illusions. We designed two carefully controlled experiments with 161 participants with varying literacy levels ranging from complete i…
Syntactic priming in illiterate and literate older Chinese adults
Are there core and peripheral syntactic structures? Experimental evidence from Dutch native speakers with varying literacy levels
Prediction in challenging situations: Most bilinguals can predict upcoming semantically-related words in their L1 source language when interpreting
Prediction is an important part of language processing. An open question is to what extent people predict language in challenging circumstances. Here we tested the limits of prediction by asking bilingual Dutch native speakers to interpret Dutch sentences into their English counterparts. In two visual world experiments, we recorded participants’ eye movements to co-present visual objects while they engaged in interpreting tasks (consecutive and s…
A pre-registered, multi-lab non-replication of the action-sentence compatibility effect (ACE)
The Action-sentence Compatibility Effect (ACE) is a well-known demonstration of the role of motor activity in the comprehension of language. Participants are asked to make sensibility judgments on sentences by producing movements toward the body or away from the body. The ACE is the finding that movements are faster when the direction of the movement (e.g., toward ) matches the direction of the action in the to-be-judged sentence (e.g., Art gave …
A parallel architecture perspective on pre-activation and prediction in language processing
A recent trend in psycholinguistic research has been to posit prediction as an essential function of language processing. The present paper develops a linguistic perspective on viewing prediction in terms of pre-activation. We describe what predictions are and how they are produced. Our basic premises are that (a) no prediction can be made without knowledge to support it; and (b) it is therefore necessary to characterize the precise form of that …
The Myth of Normal Reading
We argue that the educational and psychological sciences must embrace the diversity of reading rather than chase the phantom of normal reading behavior. We critically discuss the research practice of asking participants in experiments to read “normally.” We then draw attention to the large cross-cultural and linguistic diversity around the world and consider the enormous diversity of reading situations and goals. Finally, we observe that people b…
Do autistic children differ in language-mediated prediction
children. Past research exploring language-mediated anticipatory eye movements in autistic children, however, has been somewhat contradictory, with some studies finding normal anticipatory processing in autistic children with low levels of autistic traits but others observing weaker prediction effects in autistic children with less receptive language skills. Here we investigated language-mediated anticipatory eye movements in young children who d…
The true colors of reading: Literacy enhances lexical-semantic processing in rapid automatized and discrete object naming
Semantic knowledge is a defining property of human cognition, profoundly influenced by cultural experiences. In this study, we investigated whether literacy enhances lexical-semantic processing independently of schooling. Three groups of neurotypical adults - unschooled illiterates, unschooled ex-illiterates, and schooled literates - from the same residential and socioeconomic background in Portugal were tested on serial rapid automatized naming …
Child heritage speakers’ reading skills in the majority language and exposure to the heritage language support morphosyntactic prediction in speech
We examined the morphosyntactic prediction ability of child heritage speakers and the role of reading skills and language experience in predictive processing. Using visual world eye-tracking, we focused on predictive use of case-marking cues in Turkish with monolingual (N = 49, M AGE = 83 months) and heritage children, who were early bilinguals of Turkish and Dutch (N = 30, M AGE = 90 months). We found quantitative differences in the magnitude of…
Psychology (21 works) · Cognitive psychology (16 works) · Linguistics (16 works) · Computer Science (13 works) · Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism (12 works) · Reading and Literacy Development (9 works) · Cognition (8 works) · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition (8 works) · Categorization, perception, and language (6 works) · Natural language processing (6 works)