For the following pair, select which sentence is EASIER to process, according to memory-based explanations.

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

We start by restating the question and options to ensure clarity about what is being compared. The prompt asks which sentence is easier to process according to memory-based explanations.
Option 1: 'The messenger called the artist that the stranger painted.' This sentence is shorter and contains a relatively simple relative clause modifying 'artist' ('that the stranger painted'). The structure is straightforward: subject ('The messenger'), verb ('called'), object ('the artist'), plus a concise relative clause that identifies which artist.
Option 2: 'The messenger called the artist that the stranger on the sidewalk painted.' This version adds the prepositional phrase 'on the sidewalk' inside the relative clause, creating an extra modifier and more lexical material before the verb 'painted.' The added words can increase processing load by extending the distance between the noun 'artist' and the verb 'painted' and by introducing a more complex spatial description that listeners must integrate.
Now, evaluate each option for processing ease.
- For Option 1, the relative clause is compact, which typically supports quicker online interpretation and lower working memory demands. There is a single, clear path from the matrix verb to its object through a standard reduced relative structure, reducing ambiguity.
- For Option 2, the addition 'on the sidewalk' requires more maintenance of the candidate entities in working memory and can momentarily complicate the mapping between 'the stranger' and 'painted,' since the reader must attach 'on the sidewalk' to 'the stranger' before resolving who did the painting.
From a memory-based processing perspective, reducing material, complexity, and distance between related elements tends to ease processing. The extra modifier in Option 2 introduces more integration steps, which makes it comparatively harder to process.
Therefore, the sentence in Option 1 is easier to process than Option 2, because it is shorter and presents fewer cues that the listener must actively hold and resolve during real-time interpretation.
In contrast, Option 2 adds a spatial modifier that lengthens the dependency between 'the artist' and 'painted,' increasing cognitive load and potential confusion during memory-based processing.
To summarize the contrasts succinctly: Option 1 offers a leaner structure with a single, straightforward relative clause, whereas Option 2 adds an extra modifier that heightens processing demands and memory load during comprehension.

For the following pair, select which sentence is EASIER to process, according to memory-based explanations.

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