Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Modulation of ERP responses by predictability of information in negated contexts

Farshchi, Sara LU and Paradis, Carita LU orcid (2024) Highlights in the Language Sciences Conference
Abstract
Modulation of ERP responses by predictability of information in negated contexts

Previous research has shown that language comprehension is incremental and that we can keep up with language input because we make predictions about the upcoming information [1]. If these predictions are confirmed, processing is facilitated. In event-related potential (ERP) studies, this facilitation effect appears in the form of a reduced N400 [2]. However, if predictions are disconfirmed, an anterior post-N400 positivity (PNP) linked to inhibitory control processes [3] is observed. Most previous ERP research on predictive language processing has been based on affirmative information and not much has been done on negated information (but see [4–5]).... (More)
Modulation of ERP responses by predictability of information in negated contexts

Previous research has shown that language comprehension is incremental and that we can keep up with language input because we make predictions about the upcoming information [1]. If these predictions are confirmed, processing is facilitated. In event-related potential (ERP) studies, this facilitation effect appears in the form of a reduced N400 [2]. However, if predictions are disconfirmed, an anterior post-N400 positivity (PNP) linked to inhibitory control processes [3] is observed. Most previous ERP research on predictive language processing has been based on affirmative information and not much has been done on negated information (but see [4–5]). In fact, negation has traditionally been viewed to incur a processing difficulty and previous ERP findings are inconclusive as to whether negation is integrated into sentence comprehension in an incremental manner [6¬–7]. Given this background, we aim to find out if facilitation can be observed in negated contexts too.

This study looks at how people process more predictable information, indexed by high cloze probability ratings (HC: awake) and less predictable information, indexed by low cloze probability ratings (LC: responding) and semantic violations (VL: commercial) in negated contexts such as (1):

1) After the operation, the nurse went into the patient's room to check on him. The anesthetic was still affecting him and he was in a deep sleep. Even 5 hours after the surgery, the patient was not awake/responding/commercial at all.

ERPs were time-locked to the onset of the critical words (underlined) in the three conditions. A facilitation effect for confirmed predictions (HC condition) was found in the form of a reduced N400, which is consistent with previous observations in affirmative sentences [2, 8], and an anterior PNP was observed for disconfirmed predictions (LC condition), which suggests that the predicted word was inhibited to allow the unexpected but congruent information to be integrated [3]. The violation condition elicited the largest N400 followed by a posterior PNP, which has previously been observed for disconfirmed predictions that are incongruent [2, 9]. This is the first ERP study set up to test the role of predictability in longer and more naturalistic negated contexts.

References
[1] R. Ryskin, M.S. Nieuwland, Prediction during language comprehension: what is next? Trends in Cognitive Sciences 27 (11) (2023) 10-32-1052. (doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2023.08.003)
[2] C. Van Petten, B.J. Luka, Prediction during language comprehension: benefits, costs, and ERP components. Int. J. Psychophysiol. 83 (2012) 176–190. (doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2011.09.015)
[3] T. Ness, T., A. Meltzer-Asscher, Lexical inhibition due to failed prediction: Behavioral evidence and ERP correlates. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 44(8), (2018) 1269–1285. (doi.org/10.1037/xlm0000525)
[4] M. S. Nieuwland, Quantification, prediction, and the online impact of sentence truth-value: Evidence from event-related potentials. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 42(2), (2016) 316–334. (doi.org/10.1037/xlm0000173)
[5] M. Spychalska, V. Haase, M. Werning, To predict or not to predict: The role of context alternatives and truth for the processing of negation. In the 15th Annual Meeting of the Society for the Neurobiology of Language (SNL 2023) (2023).
[6] B. Kaup, J. Lüdtke, J., R.A. Zwaan, Processing negated sentences with contradictory predicates: Is a door that is not open mentally closed? Journal of Pragmatics, 38, (2006) 1033–1050. (doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2005.09.012)
[7] M. S. Nieuwland, G. R. Kuperberg, When the truth is not too hard to handle: An event-related potential study on pragmatics of negation. Psychological Science, 19(12), (2008) 1213–1218. (doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02226.x)
[8] M. Kutas, K. D. Federmeier, Thirty years and counting: Finding meaning in the N400 component of the event related brain potential (ERP). Annual Review of Psychology, 62, (2011) 621–647. (doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.093008.131123)
[9] K. A. DeLong, M. Kutas, Comprehending surprising sentences: sensitivity of post-N400 positivities to contextual congruity and semantic relatedness. Language, Cognition and Neuroscience, 35(8), (2020) 1044–1063. (doi.org/10.1080/23273798.2019.1708960) (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to conference
publication status
published
subject
keywords
prediction, negation, predictability, negative, ERPs, eeg, high-cloze
conference name
Highlights in the Language Sciences Conference
conference location
Nijmegen, Netherlands
conference dates
2024-07-08 - 2024-07-11
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
d1d8d2c2-5873-48df-9c6b-072e0dbba39c
date added to LUP
2024-08-27 08:35:34
date last changed
2024-08-29 08:50:04
@misc{d1d8d2c2-5873-48df-9c6b-072e0dbba39c,
  abstract     = {{Modulation of ERP responses by predictability of information in negated contexts<br/><br/>Previous research has shown that language comprehension is incremental and that we can keep up with language input because we make predictions about the upcoming information [1]. If these predictions are confirmed, processing is facilitated. In event-related potential (ERP) studies, this facilitation effect appears in the form of a reduced N400 [2]. However, if predictions are disconfirmed, an anterior post-N400 positivity (PNP) linked to inhibitory control processes [3] is observed. Most previous ERP research on predictive language processing has been based on affirmative information and not much has been done on negated information (but see [4–5]). In fact, negation has traditionally been viewed to incur a processing difficulty and previous ERP findings are inconclusive as to whether negation is integrated into sentence comprehension in an incremental manner [6¬–7]. Given this background, we aim to find out if facilitation can be observed in negated contexts too.<br/><br/>This study looks at how people process more predictable information, indexed by high cloze probability ratings (HC: awake) and less predictable information, indexed by low cloze probability ratings (LC: responding) and semantic violations (VL: commercial) in negated contexts such as (1):<br/><br/>1)	After the operation, the nurse went into the patient's room to check on him. The anesthetic was still affecting him and he was in a deep sleep. Even 5 hours after the surgery, the patient was not awake/responding/commercial at all.<br/><br/>ERPs were time-locked to the onset of the critical words (underlined) in the three conditions. A facilitation effect for confirmed predictions (HC condition) was found in the form of a reduced N400, which is consistent with previous observations in affirmative sentences [2, 8], and an anterior PNP was observed for disconfirmed predictions (LC condition), which suggests that the predicted word was inhibited to allow the unexpected but congruent information to be integrated [3]. The violation condition elicited the largest N400 followed by a posterior PNP, which has previously been observed for disconfirmed predictions that are incongruent [2, 9]. This is the first ERP study set up to test the role of predictability in longer and more naturalistic negated contexts. <br/><br/>References<br/>[1] R. Ryskin, M.S. Nieuwland, Prediction during language comprehension: what is next? Trends in Cognitive Sciences 27 (11) (2023) 10-32-1052. (doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2023.08.003)<br/>[2] C. Van Petten, B.J. Luka, Prediction during language comprehension: benefits, costs, and ERP components. Int. J. Psychophysiol. 83 (2012) 176–190. (doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2011.09.015)<br/>[3] T. Ness, T., A. Meltzer-Asscher, Lexical inhibition due to failed prediction: Behavioral evidence and ERP correlates. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 44(8), (2018) 1269–1285. (doi.org/10.1037/xlm0000525)<br/>[4] M. S. Nieuwland, Quantification, prediction, and the online impact of sentence truth-value: Evidence from event-related potentials. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 42(2), (2016) 316–334. (doi.org/10.1037/xlm0000173)<br/>[5] M. Spychalska, V. Haase, M. Werning, To predict or not to predict: The role of context alternatives and truth for the processing of negation. In the 15th Annual Meeting of the Society for the Neurobiology of Language (SNL 2023) (2023).<br/>[6] B. Kaup, J. Lüdtke, J., R.A. Zwaan, Processing negated sentences with contradictory predicates: Is a door that is not open mentally closed? Journal of Pragmatics, 38, (2006) 1033–1050. (doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2005.09.012)<br/>[7] M. S. Nieuwland, G. R. Kuperberg, When the truth is not too hard to handle: An event-related potential study on pragmatics of negation. Psychological Science, 19(12), (2008) 1213–1218. (doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02226.x)<br/>[8] M. Kutas, K. D. Federmeier, Thirty years and counting: Finding meaning in the N400 component of the event related brain potential (ERP). Annual Review of Psychology, 62, (2011) 621–647. (doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.093008.131123)<br/>[9] K. A. DeLong, M. Kutas, Comprehending surprising sentences: sensitivity of post-N400 positivities to contextual congruity and semantic relatedness. Language, Cognition and Neuroscience, 35(8), (2020) 1044–1063. (doi.org/10.1080/23273798.2019.1708960)}},
  author       = {{Farshchi, Sara and Paradis, Carita}},
  keywords     = {{prediction; negation; predictability; negative; ERPs; eeg; high-cloze}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  title        = {{Modulation of ERP responses by predictability of information in negated contexts}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/194051418/Poster_HILS24_SF.pdf}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}