Principle B constrains the processing of cataphora: Evidence for syntactic and discourse predictions

We tested whether comprehenders can use Binding Principle B (Chomsky, 1981) to guide antecedent search during the processing of cataphoric pronouns. ran two self-paced reading experiments using gender mismatch paradigm (van Gompel & Liversedge, 2003) as an index active prediction coreference between a cataphor and main clause subject. In both experiments, we find effects at subject when with is grammatically acceptable. do not comparable in conditions where ruled out by B. Our results are broadly consistent models which grammatical constraints serve early filters on anaphora resolution processes comprehension. illustrate how parser integrate syntactic discourse-level information achieve sensitivity incremental referential processing.