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Abstract:
Abstract: It is a challenge to provide electrophysiological
evidence that validate or contradict current models of word
processing. In previous studies, we showed that the attentional
modulation of Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) permitted a temporal
comparison of semantic and phonological processing and suggested
that semantic information is accessed approximately 110 ms earlier
than phonological information. Here we recorded ERPs while subjects
either made semantic judgements (natural versus manufactured
categories) or grammatical judgements (based on gender in French)
on couples of monosyllabic nouns. Targets were couples of words
both pertaining to the same category. In half of the cases,
subjects could make a decision after processing the first word only
(RELEASE condition). In the other half, they needed to process the
second word (HOLD condition). First significant differences
revealed by paired t-test comparisons occurred at 330 ms in the
semantic task and at 390 ms in the syntactic task. Systematic
MANOVA calculations every 2 ms yielded concomitant Task Region
interactions showing divergences in scalp distribution. Our results
suggest that word meaning is retrieved first, syntactical
properties approximately 60 ms later and phonological features
third, in an auditory comprehension context. Moreover, they are
compatible with the gap of approximately 40 ms between syntactic
and phonological retrieval measured by Turennout et al. in the
visual modality (Turennout et al. 1998. Science. 280:572-4).
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