Poletiek, F.
Leiden University
In an artificial grammar learning (AGL) study, Lai & Poletiek (2011) found that human participants could learn a centre embedded recursive grammar only if the input during training was presented in a staged fashion. Previous AGL studies with randomly ordered input, failed to demonstrate learning of such a centre embedded structure. In the account proposed here, the staged input effect is explained by a fine tuned match between the statistical characteristics of the incrementally organized input and the development of human cognitive learning over time, from low level and linearly associative, to hierarchical processing of long distance dependencies. Interestingly, the model suggests that staged input seems to be effective for learning hierarchical structures only, and is unhelpful for learning linear grammars.