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ESCOP 2011, 17th MEETING OF THE EUROPEAN SOCIETY FOR COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 29th Sep. - 02nd Oct.

Language comprehension

Saturday, October 01st,   2011 [17:20 - 19:20]

PS_2.097 - Phonetic and Acoustic discrimination in premature babies with Periventricular Leukomalacia: an ERP study

Calderon, M. , Ricardo-Garcell, J. , Avecilla, G. & Harmony, T.

Instituto de Neurobiologia UNAM

Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) is a frequent pathology in premature newborns that has been associated with cognitive disorders. We assessed phonetic and acoustic discrimination using auditory event-related potentials (ERPs) in 17 premature infants with periventricular leukomalacia, 10 healthy premature infants and 14 healthy at term infants (46 weeks PCA) during sleep, listening phonetic and acoustic changes. For the phonetic change, we introduced a phonetic deviant (a change in the place of articulation in the consonant) within a stream of CV syllabes. For the acoustic change, we introduced an acoustic deviant (frequency change) in a stream of harmonic tones. The obligatory components for the standard stimulus in both conditions (phonetic and acoustic) were smaller in amplitude in the PVL group than in the term and premature groups. In response to the deviant syllable, the PVL group and premature group didn´t show that response in the ERP´s whereas the term infants did. These results may suggest an abnormal cortical auditory processing of speech and acoustic stimulus in the PVL group.




PS_2.098 - The role of working memory in understanding temporal order statements

Becker, R. 1 , Knoeferle, P. 1 & Zwaan, R. 2

1 Center of Excellence Cognitive Interaction Technology (CITEC), Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
2 Department of Psychology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Research on the comprehension of temporal order statements such as biclausal Bevor/Nachdem (‘Before’/‘After’) sentences is sparse and sometimes conflicting. Solidifying its base is important for examining both event structure and event ordering in cognition (e.g., with non-linguistic stimuli, Zacks, et al., 2007; Raisig et al. 2010) and language comprehension. Analyses of event-related brain potentials (ERPs) suggest event order cues (e.g., bevor vs. nachdem) are processed immediately, although Bevor sentences cue greater working memory demands to which HWM (but not LWM) readers are immediately sensitive (Münte et al., 1998). We revisited Münte et al.’s findings using eye tracking, allowing sentence (re-)reading (unlike ERPs with rapid serial presentation). Longer reading time is interpreted as indexing greater working memory demands. First-pass time analyses revealed temporal cue effects (elevated times for before than after). As in Münte et al., temporal cue effects appeared shortly after HWM (but not LWM) participants read Bevor versus Nachdem. Surprisingly, both HWM and LWM readers showed longer re-reading (second pass) post-conjunction in Bevor versus Nachdem sentences. Thus, on the second (but not first) sentence reading, both HWM and LWM readers were influenced by increased working memory demands, suggesting these two groups differ only initially in event order comprehension.




PS_2.099 - Spatial and temporal dynamics of lexico-semantic processing in American Sign Language

Leonard, M. , Ferjan Ramirez, N. , Torres, C. , Hatrak, M. , Mayberry, R. & Halgren, E.

University of California, San Diego

It has been demonstrated that written and auditory words evoke lexico-semantic neural activity in a mostly left hemisphere fronto-temporal network between ~200-500 ms, suggesting that the brain areas that process meaning are modality-independent. Is the same true when one’s first language is acquired in a visuo-motor modality, as is the case in congenitally deaf individuals who learn sign language? Using a multimodal imaging approach that combines the temporal resolution of magnetoencephalography (MEG) and the spatial resolution of MRI, we examined a group of native deaf signers of American Sign Language (ASL). We presented signs that were either matched or mismatched with a picture of an object, and localized the activity that occurs ~400 ms after the onset of the sign videos to a similar left fronto-temporal network as speech. Our results agree with previous research using hemodynamic and lesion methods, but add a crucial temporal component, which demonstrates that the similar neural substrate for sign and speech are driven by a similar temporal dynamics.




PS_2.100 - Activating gender stereotypes in Italian during on-line language processing

Siyanova-Chanturia, A. , Pesciarelli, F. & Cacciari, C.

University of Modena and Reggio Emilia

Research suggests that information about stereotypical gender associated with certain occupations and characteristics is incorporated into speakers’ representations, rendering such information difficult to suppress during language processing. The aim of the present study was to investigate the activation of gender stereotypes in Italian. Participants were primed with a noun or an adjective that belonged to one of the following categories: (1) masculine stereotypical gender unmarked (conducente “driver”); (2) feminine stereotypical gender unmarked (insegnante “teacher”); (3) masculine biological without stereotypical gender bias (pensionato “pensioner”); (4) feminine biological without stereotypical gender bias (passeggera “passenger”); (5) stereotypically neutral gender unmarked (conoscente “acquaintance”). The prime was followed by a target, which was a personal pronoun lui (“he”) or lei (“she”). Participants were required to decide as quickly as possible whether the pronoun was masculine or feminine. The results showed faster RTs in congruent conditions, both biological (pensionato - lui, passeggera - lei) and, crucially, stereotypical (conducente - lui, insegnante - lei), compared to incongruent conditions (pensionato - lei, passeggera - lui; and conducente - lei, insegnante - lui). Although the effect was stronger for biological gender manipulations than stereotypical ones, our results provide further support for a stereotypical gender priming effect in language.




PS_2.101 - Neuronal correlates of prelexical and lexical processes in visual word recognition. An individual differences research with ERPs measures

Urrutia, M. , Domínguez, A. , Hernández-Cabrera, J. A. , León, I. & De Vega, M.

University of La Laguna

Many studies establish the cause of reading disabilities at a phonological level. The goal of this research was to use ERPs to investigate this hypothesis at a lexical and prelexical level. Three groups of participants, differing at their lexical and discourse abilities, completed a lexical decision experiment. The groups were the following: 1) high lexical and discourse performance (HL-HD) 2) high lexical performance but a low discourse competence (HL-LD) and 3) low lexical decoders but high discourse competent participants (LL-HD). Lexicality, syllable frequency and imaginability were manipulated variables. The results show that syllable frequency allows discriminating between groups of readers more clearly than the other variables. At the P200 component the words composed of high frequency syllables produce more positive amplitudes than those of low syllable frequency at frontal sites. At the N400 component the inverse pattern was found for high syllable frequency. In this case, a significant effect was found only for the participants of group 1. The lexiccality interacts with syllabe frequency in groups 1 and 2. However, any significant effect was found in the imaginability between groups. In conclusion, phonological processes are more sensitive to individual differences in visual word recognition.




PS_2.102 - The role of the declensional class in recognition of Italian written nouns

De Martino, M. & Laudanna, A.

University of Salerno

Lexical processing of nouns is affected by information about their grammatical gender. Nevertheless, it is still unclear whether the effect of gender depends on orthographic-phonological (the surface form), or on morphological factors (the activation of the inflectional paradigm). This problem is crucial for Italian nouns, since their inflectional ending simultaneously incorporates information about Gender (G), Number and Declensional Class (DC). In a lexical decision task with the priming paradigm we exploited experimental conditions where the surface forms of prime and target were kept under control and the mismatch of information about their G and DC was manipulated. The aim was to investigate the specific role of DC. Reaction times were slower when prime and target did not share G and DC. The simple mismatch of G induced a higher number of errors. Results are compatible with two explanations: i) the pre-activation of grammatical information (G and DC) inhibits the lexical processing of nouns with incongruent grammatical information; ii) a hierarchical relation holds between G and DC, where G is superordinate to DC. In this last case, effects of DC should be observed in presence of G effects, but effects of G would not imply DC effects.




PS_2.103 - Comprehension in individuals with probable Alzheimer type dementia: Can embodiment make it better?

De Scalzi, M. , Oakhill, J. & Rusted, J.

University of Sussex

It has been shown that the process of understanding a verb activates a spatial representation that is extended along a horizontal or vertical axis. This study aimed to find out whether there were differences in how young, old and probable Alzheimer Type Dementia (pDA) individuals represent verbs, and in how their understanding verbs may interact with directional cues. When tested on forced choice and implicit comprehension tasks, no significant group differences were found, indicating that the spatial content of language is preserved in pDAs, despite their generalised impairment in comprehension. Directional cues incongruent to the direction implied in the action verb were responded faster by all three groups. This reverse compatibility effect was in line with findings from embodied studies testing young adults. Exploring this intact perceptual component of language comprehension may identify conditions under which comprehension in pDAs is facilitated, translating reverse compatibility effects into real life or clinical applications.




PS_2.104 - Detection of frequency-modulated sweep direction by speakers of Mandarin Chinese: an MEG study

Kung, S. , Wu, D. , Huang, H. & Hsieh, I.

Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience. National Central University. Jhongli City, Taiwan.

The contour of frequency-modulated (FM) sweeps is a critical acoustic component of speech and other conspecific communication signals. Evidence from human psychophysics has shown that tonal-language speakers performed better in FM sweep direction identification, suggesting that experience in a tone-language environment sharpens perception of FM contours. The current magnetoencephalographic (MEG) study investigates the sensitivity to the contour of FM sweeps, indexed by auditory-evoked magnetic fields, in human auditory cortex. In an auditory mismatch negativity (MMN) paradigm, speakers of Mandarin Chinese determined the direction of successive presentations of FM sweeps in a random-block design. Stimuli were linear rising and falling FM sweep in the frequency range of 600-900Hz presented at durations of 10, 20, 40, 80, 160, and 320ms. The results revealed significant MMN, peaking in the time window of 150-200ms after the stimulus onset, which was associated with both upward and downward FM sweeps. As the duration of the sweep increases, the MMN peak amplitude increases for upward but not for downward sweeps. These results suggest that the auditory evoked-field pattern is dependent on the rate and direction of frequency-modulated sweeps, and their implications for speech encoding and lexical distinction in tonal-language processing will be discussed.




PS_2.105 - Valence differences in early emotional word processing. A simultaneous EEG-MEG study

Nordt, M. 1 , Keuper, K. 1 , Zwanzger, P. 2 & Dobel, C. 1

1 Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignalanalysis, University of Muenster
2 Department of Psychiatry, University of Muenster

The ‘early posterior negativity’ (EPN; 200-300 ms) reflects prioritized processing of emotional stimuli. It was recently discovered, that the EPN also appears in response to emotional words (Kissler et al., 2007). The question if the EPN in words is triggered by valence properties or by arousal hasn’t been settled yet. The present study aimed at investigating this topic by means of an extended combination of methods. Simultaneous EEG-MEG measurements were conducted while participants silently read continuously presented streams of neutral, positive and negative nouns. Data were analyzed using L2 minimum norm solutions based on individual head models and cortical constraints. For the time window of 200-300ms we found enhanced activation for emotional words in left occipito-temporal regions replicating the results of Kissler et al. (2007). Furthermore our results displayed activation in the cingulate cortex, consistent with fMRI studies on emotional word processing (Maddock et al., 2003). With regard to the valence of stimuli, we found more right dorsolateral prefrontal activity for negative words and more left inferior prefrontal activity for positive words. This supports early hemispheric specialization for valence differences of emotional stimuli (e.g. Davidson, 2001). Methodologically, this study emphasizes the benefit of combined neurophysiological measures.




PS_2.106 - Coactivation of dialects during auditory word processing in bidialectal speakers of High and Konstanz German

Bobb, S. & Mani, N.

Free-floater Research Group Language Acquisition. Georg-August-Universität Göttingen. Göttingen, Germany.

Analogous to studies on bilingual language representation, the present study addresses the possibility of parallel lexical activation of dialect variations in speakers of two language dialects. Native speakers of German who speak High German (HG) and a dialect of Konstanz (KG) and those who speak only HG were tested on an intermodal priming task embedded in a lexical decision task. Each trial consisted of a dialect-neutral picture prime followed by an auditory target word in HG. Pictures were paired with a target that could be phonologically primed by an HD label and one that could be primed with a KD label. For example, the HG label of Mast /mast/ could prime HG words with /s/ such as Masse /masə/. The KG label of Mast /maʃt/ could prime HG words with /ʃ/ such as Masche /maʃə/. We asked whether bidialectal participants would coactivate both HG and KG dialects in a monodialectal HG experimental environment. If the picture prime coactivates both dialects during language processing, we predicted bidialectal participants to show priming for both HG and KG conditions. Preliminary priming effects are interpreted in light of present models of lexical processing.




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