Event-related potentials and the interaction between orthographic and phonological information in a rhyme-judgment task

Abstract This study tested the hypothesis that autistic traits influence the neuronal habituation that underlies the processing of others’ pain. Based on their autism-spectrum quotient (AQ), two groups of participants were classified according to their autistic traits: High-AQ and Low-AQ groups. Their event-related potentials in response to trains of three identical audio recordings, exhibiting either painful or neutral feelings of others, were compared during three experimental tasks. (1) In a Pain Judgment Task, participants were instructed to focus on pain-related cues in the presented audio recordings. (2) In a Gender Judgment Task, participants were instructed to focus on non-pain-related cues in the presented audio recordings. (3) In a Passive Listening Task, participants were instructed to passively listen. In the High-AQ group, an altered empathic pattern of habituation, indexed by frontal-central P2 responses of the second repeated painful audio recordings, was found during the Passive Listening Task. Nevertheless, both High-AQ and Low-AQ groups exhibited similar patterns of habituation to hearing others’ voices, both neutral and painful, in the Pain Judgment and Gender Judgment Tasks. These results suggest altered empathic neuronal habituation in the passive processing of others’ vocal pain by individuals with autistic traits.

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Concurrent use of animacy and event-knowledge during comprehension: Evidence from event-related potentials

10.31234/osf.io/2qbmp ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Mariana Vega-Mendoza ◽

Martin John Pickering ◽

Mante S. Nieuwland

Keyword(s):

Real World ◽

Semantic Processing ◽

Sentence Comprehension ◽

Time Window ◽

Event Related Potentials ◽

Semantic Relatedness ◽

Judgment Task ◽

N400 Effect ◽

Event Knowledge ◽

Related Potentials

In two ERP experiments, we investigated whether readers prioritize animacy over real-world event-knowledge during sentence comprehension. We used the paradigm of Paczynski and Kuperberg (2012), who argued that animacy is prioritized based on the observations that the ‘related anomaly effect’ (reduced N400s for context-related anomalous words compared to unrelated words) does not occur for animacy violations, and that animacy violations but not relatedness violations elicit P600 effects. Participants read passive sentences with plausible agents (e.g., The prescription for the mental disorder was written by the psychiatrist) or implausible agents that varied in animacy and semantic relatedness (schizophrenic/guard/pill/fence). In Experiment 1 (with a plausibility judgment task), plausible sentences elicited smaller N400s relative to all types of implausible sentences. Moreover, animate words elicited smaller N400s than inanimate words, and related words elicited smaller N400s than unrelated words. Crucially, at the P600 time-window, we observed more positive ERPs for animate than inanimate words and for related than unrelated words at anterior regions. In Experiment 2 (with no judgment task), we observed an N400 effect with animacy violations, but no other effects. Taken together, the results of our experiments fail to support a prioritized role of animacy information over real-world event-knowledge, but they support an interactive, constraint-based view on incremental semantic processing.

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An ERP study of audiovisual simultaneity perception

Seeing and Perceiving ◽

10.1163/187847612x647900 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 25 (0) ◽

pp. 159

Author(s):

Marek Binder

Keyword(s):

Temporal Integration ◽

Event Related Potentials ◽

Stimulus Onset ◽

Judgment Task ◽

Physical Parameters ◽

Conscious Perception ◽

Synchrony Perception ◽

Related Potentials ◽

Audiovisual Stimuli ◽

Onset Asynchrony

The aim of this study was to examine relation between conscious perception of temporal relation between the elements of an audiovisual pair and the dynamics of accompanying neural activity. This was done by using a simultaneity judgment task and EEG event-related potentials (ERP). During Experiment 1 the pairs of 10 ms white-noise bursts and flashes were used. On presenting each pair subjects pressed one of two buttons to indicate their synchrony. Values of stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) were based on individual estimates of simultaneity thresholds (50∕50 probability of either response). They were estimated prior to EEG measurement using interleaved staircase involving both sound-first and flash-first stimulus pairs. Experiment 2 had the identical setup, except subjects indicated if audio–visual pair began simultaneously (termination was synchronous). ERP waveforms were time-locked to the second stimulus in the pair. Effects of synchrony perception were studied by comparing ERPs in trials that were judged as simultaneous and non-simultaneous. Subjects were divided into two subgroups with similar SOA values. In both experiments at about 200 ms after the second stimulus onset a stronger ERP wave positivity for trials judged as non-simultaneous was observed in parieto-central sites. This effect was observed for both sound-first and video-first pairs and for both SOA subgroups. The results demonstrate that the perception of temporal relations between multimodal stimuli with identical physical parameters is reflected in localized ERP differences. Given their localization in the posterior parietal regions, these differences may be viewed as correlates of conscious perception of temporal integration vs. separation of audiovisual stimuli.

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Seven-year-olds recall non-adjacent dependencies after overnight retention

10.1101/670257 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Gesa Schaadt ◽

Mariella Paul ◽

R. Muralikrishnan ◽

Claudia Männel ◽

Angela D. Friederici

Keyword(s):

Native Language ◽

Event Related Potentials ◽

Judgment Task ◽

List Type ◽

Retention Period ◽

Lasting Effect ◽

Grammaticality Judgment ◽

Brain Responses ◽

Related Potentials ◽

Behavioral Improvement

AbstractBecoming a successful speaker depends on acquiring and learning grammatical dependencies between neighboring and non-neighboring linguistic elements (non-adjacent dependencies; NADs). Previous studies have demonstrated children’s and adults’ ability to distinguish NADs from NAD violations right after familiarization. However, demonstrating NAD recall after retention is crucial to demonstrate a lasting effect of NAD learning. We tested 7-year-olds’ NAD learning in a natural, non-native language on one day and NAD recall on the next day by means of event-related potentials (ERPs). Our results revealed ERPs with a more positive amplitude to NAD violations than correct NADs after familiarization on day one, but ERPs with a more negative amplitude to NAD violations on day two. This change from more positive to more negative ERPs to NAD violations possibly indicates that children’s representations of NADs changed during an overnight retention period, potentially associated with children’s NAD learning. Indeed, our descriptive analyses showed that both ERP patterns (i.e., day one: positive, day two: negative) were related to stronger behavioral improvement (i.e., more correct answers on day two compared to day one) in a grammaticality judgment task from day one to day two. We suggest these findings to indicate that children successfully built associative representations of NADs on day one and then strengthened these associations during overnight retention, revealing NAD recall on day two. The present results suggest that 7-year-olds readily track NADs in a natural, non-native language and are able to recall NADs after a retention period involving sleep, providing evidence of a lasting effect of NAD learning.Highlights7-year-olds’ non-adjacent dependency learning in a foreign language testedChildren gave grammaticality judgments while electroencephalography was recordedBrain responses revealed children’s learning of non-adjacent dependenciesBrain responses after overnight retention showed different polarityChildren’s recall of dependencies after sleep associated with representation change

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Early Auditory Event-Related Potentials Are Modulated by Alphabetic Literacy Skills in Logographic Chinese Readers

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.663166 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Yubin Zhang ◽

Chotiga Pattamadilok ◽

Dustin Kai-Yan Lau ◽

Mehdi Bakhtiar ◽

Long-Ying Yim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phonological Awareness ◽

Speech Processing ◽

Phonological Processing ◽

Time Course ◽

Time Windows ◽

Event Related Potentials ◽

Judgment Task ◽

Literacy Skills ◽

Speech Stimuli ◽

Related Potentials

The acquisition of an alphabetic orthography transforms speech processing in the human brain. Behavioral evidence shows that phonological awareness as assessed by meta-phonological tasks like phoneme judgment, is enhanced by alphabetic literacy acquisition. The current study investigates the time-course of the neuro-cognitive operations underlying this enhancement as revealed by event-related potentials (ERPs). Chinese readers with and without proficiency in Jyutping, a Romanization system of Cantonese, were recruited for an auditory onset phoneme judgment task; their behavioral responses and the elicited ERPs were examined. Proficient readers of Jyutping achieved higher response accuracy and exhibited more negative-going ERPs in three early ERP time-windows corresponding to the P1, N1, and P2 components. The phonological mismatch negativity component exhibited sensitivity to both onset and rhyme mismatch in the speech stimuli, but it was not modulated by alphabetic literacy skills. The sustained negativity in the P1-N1-P2 time-windows is interpreted as reflecting enhanced phonetic/phonological processing or attentional/awareness modulation associated with alphabetic literacy and phonological awareness skills.

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Effects of Hand Orientation on Motor Imagery - Event Related Potentials Suggest Kinesthetic Motor Imagery to Solve the Hand Laterality Judgment Task

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0076515 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 8 (9) ◽

pp. e76515 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Marijtje L. A. Jongsma ◽

Ruud G. J. Meulenbroek ◽

Judith Okely ◽

C. Marjolein Baas ◽

Rob H. J. van der Lubbe ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Motor Imagery ◽

Event Related Potentials ◽

Judgment Task ◽

Hand Orientation ◽

Hand Laterality ◽

Related Potentials ◽

Laterality Judgment

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Language-Switch of a Parity Judgment Task in Multilinguals

Chinese Journal of Applied Linguistics ◽

10.1515/cjal-2016-0007 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 39 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Huili Wang ◽

Ling Meng ◽

Shuo Cao ◽

Qilin Lu

Keyword(s):

Response Time ◽

Event Related Potentials ◽

Switching Cost ◽

Judgment Task ◽

Language Switching ◽

Processing Mode ◽

Mean Response Time ◽

Related Potentials ◽

The Mean ◽

Parity Judgment

AbstractThis study attempts to explore a possible mode of language switching process of multilinguals (Russian-English-Chinese) from the perspectives of language-switching cost based on event related potentials (ERP). Thirty Belarusians studying Chinese in China participated in this experiment. Behavioral results show under three-language-switching-conditions, the mean response time for switch trials is shorter than non-switch trials. Switching cost between Russian and English, Russian and Chinese is symmetric, while English and Chinese is asymmetric. ERP results indicate a negative deflection peaking around 320 ms is observed under conditions of L2-L1 and L3-L1 switching over the entire bilateral frontal sites. The study proposes a processing mode based on the idea of conflict discovery and resolution to contribute to a further understanding of language switching mechanisms.

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First Event-Related Potentials Evidence of Auditory Morphosyntactic Processing in a Subject-Object-Verb Nominative-Accusative Language (Farsi)

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.698165 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Azam Meykadeh ◽

Arsalan Golfam ◽

Ali Motie Nasrabadi ◽

Hayat Ameri ◽

Werner Sommer

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Second Language Acquisition ◽

Language Processing ◽

Native Speakers ◽

Working Memory Capacity ◽

Event Related Potentials ◽

Verbal Working Memory ◽

Judgment Task ◽

Neural Signals ◽

Related Potentials

While most studies on neural signals of online language processing have focused on a few—usually western—subject-verb-object (SVO) languages, corresponding knowledge on subject-object-verb (SOV) languages is scarce. Here we studied Farsi, a language with canonical SOV word order. Because we were interested in the consequences of second-language acquisition, we compared monolingual native Farsi speakers and equally proficient bilinguals who had learned Farsi only after entering primary school. We analyzed event-related potentials (ERPs) to correct and morphosyntactically incorrect sentence-final syllables in a sentence correctness judgment task. Incorrect syllables elicited a late posterior positivity at 500–700 ms after the final syllable, resembling the P600 component, as previously observed for syntactic violations at sentence-middle positions in SVO languages. There was no sign of a left anterior negativity (LAN) preceding the P600. Additionally, we provide evidence for a real-time discrimination of phonological categories associated with morphosyntactic manipulations (between 35 and 135 ms), manifesting the instantaneous neural response to unexpected perturbations. The L2 Farsi speakers were indistinguishable from L1 speakers in terms of performance and neural signals of syntactic violations, indicating that exposure to a second language at school entry may results in native-like performance and neural correlates. In nonnative (but not native) speakers verbal working memory capacity correlated with the late posterior positivity and performance accuracy. Hence, this first ERP study of morphosyntactic violations in a spoken SOV nominative-accusative language demonstrates ERP effects in response to morphosyntactic violations and the involvement of executive functions in non-native speakers in computations of subject-verb agreement.

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