@article{BeimGrabenFrisch2004, author = {Beim Graben, Peter and Frisch, Stefan}, title = {Is it positive or negative? On determining ERP components}, issn = {0018-9294}, year = {2004}, abstract = {In most experiments using event-related brain potentials (ERPs), there is a straightforward way to define-on theoretical grounds-which of the conditions tested is the experimental condition and which is the control condition. It, however, theoretical assumptions do not give sufficient and unambiguous information to decide this question, then the interpretation of an ERP effect becomes difficult, especially if one takes into account that certain effects can be both a positivity or a negativity on the basis of the morphology of the pattern as well as with respect to peak latency (regard for example, N400 and P345). Exemplified with an ERP experiment on language processing, we present such a critical case and offer a possible solution on the basis of nonlinear data analysis. We show that a generalized polarity histogram, the word statistics of symbolic dynamics, is in principle able to distinguish negative going ERP components from positive ones when an appropriate encoding strategy, the half wave encoding is employed. We propose statistical criteria which allow to determine ERP components on purely methodological grounds}, language = {en} } @article{SaddyDrenhausFrisch2004, author = {Saddy, Douglas and Drenhaus, Heiner and Frisch, Stefan}, title = {Processing polarity items : Contrastive licensing costs}, issn = {0093-934X}, year = {2004}, abstract = {We describe an experiment that investigated the failure to license polarity items in German using event-related brain potentials (ERPs). The results reveal distinct processing reflexes associated with failure to license positive polarity items in comparison to failure to license negative polarity items. Failure to license both negative and positive polarity items elicited an N400 component reflecting semantic integration cost. Failure to license positive polarity items, however, also elicited a P600 component. The additional P600 in the positive polarity violations may reflect higher processing complexity associated with a negative operator. This difference between the two types of violation suggests that the processing of negative and positive polarity items does not involve identical mechanisms. (C) 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Frisch2000, author = {Frisch, Stefan}, title = {Verb-Argument-Struktur, Kasus und thematische Interpretation beim Sprachverstehen}, series = {MPI series in human cognitive and brain sciences}, volume = {12}, journal = {MPI series in human cognitive and brain sciences}, publisher = {MPI of Cognitive Neuroscience}, address = {Leipzig}, isbn = {3-9807282-1-8}, pages = {IX, 293 S.}, year = {2000}, language = {de} } @article{FrischSaddyFriederici2000, author = {Frisch, Stefan and Saddy, Douglas and Friederici, A. D.}, title = {Cutting a long story (too) short}, year = {2000}, language = {en} }