Generics Are a Cognitive Default: Evidence From Sentence Processing

We tested the hypothesis that generics (e.g., Dogs have four legs) are a cognitive default, thereby allowing faster and less effortful processing in comparison to quantified noun phrases (e.g., all dogs). Participants judged sentences containing either generics or universally-quantified noun phrases as true or false. Under time pressure, participants treated universallyquantified noun phrases as if they were generics (e.g., responding true to All dogs have four legs, despite the existence of three-legged dogs). Participants also took longer to respond to sentences with universal quantifiers vs. generics. Data thus support a generics-as-default account.