When accessibility distinctions matter or don't: Divergent patterns of offline and online cataphora resolution
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This study investigates how cataphoric pronouns are resolved in Korean, offering new insights into the cognitive mechanisms behind referential interpretation. Using both offline (questionnaire) and online (eye-tracking) methods, we examine whether mental accessibility-based constraints consistently influence pronoun resolution across processing modes. Offline results align with Accessibility Theory (Ariel, 2001): while both null (pro) and overt pronouns show a subject antecedent preference, the bias is stronger for pro, and overt pronouns display more flexibility toward object antecedents. However, the eye-tracking data reveal a different pattern: sentences were read more quickly when the context supported a subject antecedent interpretation-regardless of pronoun type-indicating a generalized subject bias during real-time processing. Notably, the two pronoun types did not differ in the strength of this bias during online comprehension. These findings support an active search mechanism for antecedents in real-time processing but also reveal a dissociation between online and offline resolution strategies. Overall, the results indicate that accessibility distinctions guide pronoun resolution in offline interpretation, but play a more limited role during rapid online comprehension in cataphoric dependencies, where they may conflict with strong processing heuristics. By highlighting this cross-task divergence, our findings suggest that mental accessibility constraints may be interpreted differently-or weighted unequally-across processing domains.
Source: Acta Psychologica
Authors: Nayoung Kwon, So Young Lee
Institutions: University of Oregon, Miami University
Language: English
Subfield: Language and Linguistics
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,670
Funder: University of Oregon
OpenAlex ID: W7133550004