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Abstract:
Abstract: Prior work demonstrates a deflection in the ERP,
representing implicit memory for words (Rugg et al., 1998). Both,
direct and indirect memory elicits positive deflections in the ERP,
the first called old/new effect, the second ERP
repetition effect. To replicate and generalize this implicit memory
potential, we compared the memory potentials of direct and indirect
memory testing within a single task for common words and famous
faces . In a modified Sternberg-task, both targets and nontargets
were repeated in a series of test trials (direct and indirect
memory, respectively). Direct memory for words and faces was
correlated with two distinct memory potentials, a parieto-central
positivity between 300 and 600 ms and an earlier frontopolar
positivity of 200 ms duration, arising at 200 ms and peaking at 300
ms. For words, the ERPs from repeated nontargets differed from new
ones by a small positive deflection at parietal sites between 300
and 500 ms. Indirectly tested faces elicited a more frontal
positivity in the same time range. In addition, manipulating the
encoding depth of repeated nontargets did not change the amplitudes
of the positive deflections for words or faces. These results
provide further evidence for the existence of implicit memory
effects in ERPs and, moreover, indicate that they are specific for
the verbal and nonverbal domain
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