WHAT DO YOU EXPECT TO GET WHEN YOU ASK FOR A CUP OF COFFEE AND A MUFFIN OR A CROISSANT - ON THE INTERPRETATION OF SENTENCES CONTAINING MULTIPLE CONNECTIVES

Sentences containing both the AND and the OR connectives (e.g. A and B or C) may be interpreted either as "(A and B) or C" or as "A and (B or C)". The present study explored the effects of two variables-the order of the two connectives and category membership of the arguments connected-on the interpretation of such sentences. Some 160 undergraduates had to choose between alternative interpretations of a sentence involving three arguments connected by AND and OR. It was found that in most cases AND is considered to bind the arguments more strongly than OR. However this tendency is order- and content-sensitive. © 1993 Academic Press. All rights reserved.