Can Statistical Parsers WOW ! You : A Cognitive Assessment (original) (raw)

This research investigates the cognitive validity of statistical parsers by analyzing their ability to learn unnatural grammatical constructions, specifically focusing on counting-based rules in language. Through experiments using modified sentences from the Penn Tree Bank, where a marker 'Wow!' indicates a grammatical transformation, results indicate that while a statistical parser can learn these rules with reasonable accuracy, the performance falls short of human capabilities. The findings suggest that statistical parsers may not effectively replicate human linguistic competence, particularly in handling unnatural constructs.