On the influence of typicality and age of acquisition on semantic processing: Diverging evidence from behavioural and ERP responses
- Various behavioural studies show that semantic typicality (TYP) and age of acquisition (AOA) of a specific word influence processing time and accuracy during the performance of lexical-semantic tasks. This study examines the influence of TYP and AOA on semantic processing at behavioural (response times and accuracy data) and electrophysiological levels using an auditory category-member-verification task. Reaction time data reveal independent TYP and AOA effects, while in the accuracy data and the event-related potentials predominantly effects of TYP can be found. The present study thus confirms previous findings and extends evidence found in the visual modality to the auditory modality. A modality-independent influence on semantic word processing is manifested. However, with regard to the influence of AOA, the diverging results raise questions on the origin of AOA effects as well as on the interpretation of offline and online data. Hence, results will be discussed against the background of recent theories on N400 correlates inVarious behavioural studies show that semantic typicality (TYP) and age of acquisition (AOA) of a specific word influence processing time and accuracy during the performance of lexical-semantic tasks. This study examines the influence of TYP and AOA on semantic processing at behavioural (response times and accuracy data) and electrophysiological levels using an auditory category-member-verification task. Reaction time data reveal independent TYP and AOA effects, while in the accuracy data and the event-related potentials predominantly effects of TYP can be found. The present study thus confirms previous findings and extends evidence found in the visual modality to the auditory modality. A modality-independent influence on semantic word processing is manifested. However, with regard to the influence of AOA, the diverging results raise questions on the origin of AOA effects as well as on the interpretation of offline and online data. Hence, results will be discussed against the background of recent theories on N400 correlates in semantic processing. In addition, an argument in favour of a complementary use of research techniques will be made. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.…
| Author details: | Romy Räling, Julia Holzgrefe-LangGND, Astrid SchröderGND, Isabell WartenburgerORCiDGND |
|---|---|
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2015.05.031 |
| ISSN: | 0028-3932 |
| ISSN: | 1873-3514 |
| Pubmed ID: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26032580 |
| Title of parent work (English): | Neuropsychologia : an international journal in behavioural and cognitive neuroscience |
| Publisher: | Elsevier |
| Place of publishing: | Oxford |
| Publication type: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Year of first publication: | 2015 |
| Publication year: | 2015 |
| Release date: | 2017/03/27 |
| Tag: | Age of acquisition; Category verification; Event-related potentials; N400; Semantic priming; Semantic typicality |
| Volume: | 75 |
| Number of pages: | 15 |
| First page: | 186 |
| Last Page: | 200 |
| Funding institution: | German National Academic Foundation (Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes) |
| Organizational units: | Humanwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Strukturbereich Kognitionswissenschaften |
| Peer review: | Referiert |
| Institution name at the time of the publication: | Humanwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Exzellenzbereich Kognitionswissenschaften |
