TY - JOUR
T1 - Semantic priming modulates the N400, N300, and N400RP
AU - Franklin, Michael S.
AU - Dien, Joseph
AU - Neely, James H.
AU - Huber, Elizabeth
AU - Waterson, Lauren D.
N1 - Funding Information:
The research in this paper was done in partial fulfillment of the first author’s requirements for the M.S. degree at Tulane University. Portions of this research were presented at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, April 2003, in New York City. We thank Kyle Malone for assistance with the behavioral data. We also thank the members of the first author’s thesis committee, Gary Dohanich, Paul Colombo, and Dave Corey, for their helpful comments and support throughout the study. The preparation of this manuscript was partially supported by a Louisiana Board of Regents Research Competitiveness Subprogram grant (LEQSF-RD-A-27).
PY - 2007/5
Y1 - 2007/5
N2 - Objective: To determine whether ERP components can differentiate between the semantic priming mechanisms of automatic spreading activation, expectancy, and semantic matching. Methods: The present study manipulated two factors known to differentiate semantic priming mechanisms: associations between words (forward, backward, and symmetrical) and prime-target stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA). Twenty-six participants were tested in each SOA condition while high-density 128-channel data were collected. Principal components analysis was applied to separate the ERP components. Results: Priming was observed for all conditions. Three semantic components were present: (1) the standard N400 effect for symmetric and forward priming pairs at both short and long SOAs, (2) an N300 for the long SOA symmetric priming pairs, and (3) a right-lateralized posterior N400RP for long SOA backward priming pairs. Conclusions: Results suggest that the N300 reflects expectancy, but only for categorical and/or semantic similarity priming. Results further suggest that the N400RP is a replicable ERP component that responds to semantic matching. There is also some evidence that the N400 indirectly responds to both ASA and expectancy, perhaps as part of a post-lexical updating process and that backward priming at short SOAs is different from that at long SOAs. Significance: Improved understanding of the semantic properties of the N400 and related ERP components may increase their utility for understanding language processes and for diagnostic purposes.
AB - Objective: To determine whether ERP components can differentiate between the semantic priming mechanisms of automatic spreading activation, expectancy, and semantic matching. Methods: The present study manipulated two factors known to differentiate semantic priming mechanisms: associations between words (forward, backward, and symmetrical) and prime-target stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA). Twenty-six participants were tested in each SOA condition while high-density 128-channel data were collected. Principal components analysis was applied to separate the ERP components. Results: Priming was observed for all conditions. Three semantic components were present: (1) the standard N400 effect for symmetric and forward priming pairs at both short and long SOAs, (2) an N300 for the long SOA symmetric priming pairs, and (3) a right-lateralized posterior N400RP for long SOA backward priming pairs. Conclusions: Results suggest that the N300 reflects expectancy, but only for categorical and/or semantic similarity priming. Results further suggest that the N400RP is a replicable ERP component that responds to semantic matching. There is also some evidence that the N400 indirectly responds to both ASA and expectancy, perhaps as part of a post-lexical updating process and that backward priming at short SOAs is different from that at long SOAs. Significance: Improved understanding of the semantic properties of the N400 and related ERP components may increase their utility for understanding language processes and for diagnostic purposes.
KW - Attention
KW - Event related potential (ERP)
KW - N400
KW - Semantic priming
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U2 - 10.1016/j.clinph.2007.01.012
DO - 10.1016/j.clinph.2007.01.012
M3 - Article
C2 - 17336145
AN - SCOPUS:34047095987
VL - 118
SP - 1053
EP - 1068
JO - Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology - Electromyography and Motor Control
JF - Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology - Electromyography and Motor Control
SN - 1388-2457
IS - 5
ER -