Stimuli used in Thornton, MacDonald, and Arnold (2000), which were
adapted from Spivey-Knowlton and Sedivy (1995). Items are presented
as follows: (a) short condition, VP attachment disambiguation, (b)
long condition, VP attachment disambiguation, (c) short condition, NP
attachment disambiguation, (d) long condition, NP attachment
disambiguation.
- 1.
- (a)
- The salesman glanced at the customer with suspicion and then walked away.
- (b)
- The salesman glanced at the amazingly rude young customer with suspicion and then walked away.
- (c)
- The salesman glanced at the customer with ripped jeans and then walked away.
- (d)
- The salesman glanced at the amazingly rude young customer with ripped jeans and then walked away.
- 2.
- (a)
- The contestant hoped for the prize with anticipation but left empty handed.
- (b)
- The contestant hoped for the really great gameshow prize with anticipation but left empty handed.
- (c)
- The contestant hoped for the prize with lots of cash but left empty-handed.
- (d)
- The contestant hoped for the really great gameshow prize with lots of cash but left empty-handed.
- 3.
- (a)
- The executive sought the promotion with determination but was fired instead.
- (b)
- The executive sought the highly competitive corporate promotion with determination but was fired instead.
- (c)
- The executive sought the promotion with the pay raise but was fired instead.
- (d)
- The executive sought the highly competitive corporate promotion with the pay raise but was fired instead.
- 4.
- (a)
- The troubled woman looked to the priest with hope and he helped her.
- (b)
- The troubled woman looked to the highly revered Catholic priest with hope and he helped her.
- (c)
- The troubled woman looked to the priest with experience and he helped her.
- (d)
- The troubled woman looked to the highly revered Catholic priest with experience and he helped her.
- 5.
- (a)
- The old man listened to the opera with a hearing aid and liked it very much.
- (b)
- The old man listened to the famous old German opera with a hearing aid and liked it very much.
- (c)
- The old man listened to the opera with six acts and liked it very much.
- (d)
- The old man listened to the famous old German opera with six acts and liked it very much.
- 6.
- (a)
- The woman expected the bus with anticipation but was at the wrong stop.
- (b)
- The woman expected the newly refurbished downtown bus with anticipation but was at the wrong stop.
- (c)
- The woman expected the bus with air-conditioning but was at the wrong stop.
- (d)
- The woman expected the newly refurbished downtown bus with air-conditioning but was at the wrong stop.
- 7.
- (a)
- The spy saw the cop with binoculars but the cop didn't see him.
- (b)
- The spy saw the poorly disguised undercover cop with binoculars but the cop didn't see him.
- (c)
- The spy saw the cop with a revolver but the cop didn't see him.
- (d)
- The spy saw the poorly disguised undercover cop with a revolver but the cop didn't see him.
- 8.
- (a)
- The sailor looked for the ship with his telescope but saw nothing all day.
- (b)
- The sailor looked for the anxiously awaited rescue ship with his telescope but saw nothing all day.
- (c)
- The sailor looked for the ship with red sails but saw nothing all day.
- (d)
- The sailor looked for the anxiously awaited rescue ship with red sails but saw nothing all day.
- 9.
- (a)
- The bank manager knew the combination with certainty but never used it.
- (b)
- The bank manager knew the highly complex safe combination with certainty but never used it.
- (c)
- The bank manager knew the combination with 12 digits but never used it.
- (d)
- The bank manager knew the highly complex safe combination with 12 digits but never used it.
- 10.
- (a)
- The T.A. despised the student with obvious hatred but always graded fairly.
- (b)
- The T.A. despised the incredibly obnoxious law student with obvious hatred but always graded fairly.
- (c)
- The T.A. despised the student with a bad attitude but always graded fairly.
- (d)
- The T.A. despised the incredibly obnoxious law student with a bad attitude but always graded fairly.
- 11.
- (a)
- The musician heard the performance with great pleasure and loved it all.
- (b)
- The musician heard the well publicized student performance with great pleasure and loved it all.
- (c)
- The musician heard the performance with thirty violins and loved it all.
- (d)
- The musician heard the well publicized student performance with thirty violins and loved it all.
- 12.
- (a)
- The scholar strived for the award with great effort and finally won it.
- (b)
- The scholar strived for the internationally competitive academic award with great effort and finally won it.
- (c)
- The scholar strived for the award with great prestige and finally won it.
- (d)
- The scholar strived for the internationally competitive academic award with great prestige and finally won it.
- 13.
- (a)
- The supervisor demanded the report with insistence so we all worked on it.
- (b)
- The supervisor demanded the fully detailed quarterly report with insistence so we all worked on it.
- (c)
- The supervisor demanded the report with sales figures so we all worked on it.
- (d)
- The supervisor demanded the fully detailed quarterly report with sales figures so we all worked on it.
- 14.
- (a)
- The child tasted the chocolate with delight and quickly ate it all.
- (b)
- The child tasted the carefully hidden Christmas chocolate with delight and quickly ate it all.
- (c)
- The child tasted the chocolate with almonds and quickly ate it all.
- (d)
- The child tasted the carefully hidden Christmas chocolate with almonds and quickly ate it all.
- 15.
- (a)
- The young girl loved the man with all her heart but she feared marriage.
- (b)
- The young girl loved the temporarily unemployed older man with all her heart but she feared marriage.
- (c)
- The young girl loved the man with the sense of humor but she feared marriage.
- (d)
- The young girl loved the temporarily unemployed older man with the sense of humor but she feared marriage.
- 16.
- (a)
- The designer smelled the perfume with satisfaction and pronounced it divine.
- (b)
- The designer smelled the appallingly expensive French perfume with satisfaction and pronounced it divine.
- (c)
- The designer smelled the perfume with a sharp smell and pronounced it divine.
- (d)
- The designer smelled the appallingly expensive French perfume with a sharp smell and pronounced it divine.