A comprehension- or a production-based monitor? Response to Roelofs (2019)

Abstract

Roelofs (2019) has put forth a rebuttal of the criticisms raised against comprehension-based monitoring and has also raised a number of objections against production-based monitors. In this response, I clarify that the model defended by Roelofs is not a comprehension-based monitor, but belongs to class of monitoring models which I refer to as production-perception models. I review comprehension-based and production-perception models, highlight the strength of each, and point out the differences between them. I then discuss the limitations of both for monitoring production at higher levels, which has been the motivation for production-based monitors. Next, I address the specific criticisms raised by Roelofs (2019) in light of the current evidence. I end by presenting several lines of arguments that preclude a single monitoring mechanism as meeting all the demands of monitoring in a task as complex as communication. A more fruitful avenue is perhaps to focus on what theories are compatible with the nature of representations at specific levels of the production system and with specific aims of monitoring in language production.

Correction without consciousness in complex tasks : evidence from typing

“…Currently, the empirical evidence for the degree to which conscious control is involved in repairs in language production is mixed. On the one hand, there is indirect evidence pointing to a potential automatic component for repairs: corrections can be very quick and efficient , 2020, and studies in some populations like young children and individuals with aphasia suggest that such corrections may be carried out without explicit awareness over the error or the repair process (e.g., Clark, 1978). On the other hand, some findings have been taken as evidence that repairs are subject to attentional control.…”

“…Errors arise when a target and one or more non-target segments are activated simultaneously. This triggers detection mechanisms (see Nozari, 2020, for a review).…”