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Additive Effects of Repetition and Predictability During Comprehension: Evidence from Event-Related Potentials

Chow, Wing-Yee
; 
Lago, Sol
; 
Barrios, Shannon
; 
Parker, Daniel
Abstract
Previous research has shown that neural responses to words during sentence comprehension are sensitive to both lexical repetition and a word’s predictability in context. While previous research has often contrasted the effects of these variables (e.g. by looking at cases in which word repetition violates sentence-level constraints), little is known about how they work in tandem. In the current study we examine how recent exposure to a word and its predictability in context combine to impact lexical semantic processing. We devise a novel paradigm that combines reading comprehension with a recognition memory task, allowing for an orthogonal manipulation of a word’s predictability and its repetition status. Using event-related brain potentials (ERPs), we show that word repetition and predictability have qualitatively similar and additive effects on the N400 amplitude. We propose that prior exposure to a word and predictability impact lexical semantic processing in an additive and independent fashion.
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2014-06-01
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PLOS
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Linguistics
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Linguistics
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0099199
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https://scholarworks.wm.edu/handle/internal/874
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