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Semantic processing without conscious identification: Evidence from event-related potentials

Stenberg, Georg LU ; Lindgren, Magnus LU ; Johansson, Mikael LU orcid ; Olsson, Andreas and Rosén, Ingmar LU (2000) In Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition 26. p.973-1004
Abstract
Three event-related potential (ERP) experiments examined whether semantic content can be accessed From visually presented words that cannot he consciously identified. Category labels were shown to participants, followed by masked, briefly exposed words that were either exemplars of the category or not exemplars. The task was to verify the category, by guessing if necessary, and to identify the word naming it if possible. Exposure durations were selected to allow identification in approximately half the trials. For identified words, there was a marked difference in the ERP response between in-category and out-of-category words because of an N400 component. For unidentified words, there was a similar although smaller difference. Conscious... (More)
Three event-related potential (ERP) experiments examined whether semantic content can be accessed From visually presented words that cannot he consciously identified. Category labels were shown to participants, followed by masked, briefly exposed words that were either exemplars of the category or not exemplars. The task was to verify the category, by guessing if necessary, and to identify the word naming it if possible. Exposure durations were selected to allow identification in approximately half the trials. For identified words, there was a marked difference in the ERP response between in-category and out-of-category words because of an N400 component. For unidentified words, there was a similar although smaller difference. Conscious identification was defined using a variety of approaches: verbal report 6-alternative forced choice, and binary categorization (in the context of the regression method; A. G. Greenwald, M. R. Klinger, & E. S. Schuh, 1995). By any definition, ERPs for unidentified words showed evidence of semantic processing. In addition, there were differences in the neuronal populations recruited to process above-threshold versus below-threshold words, suggesting qualitative differences. (Less)
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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
VISUAL WORD RECOGNITION, UNCONSCIOUS PERCEPTION, ASSOCIATIVE ACTIVATION, BRAIN POTENTIALS, N400, LEXICAL DECISION, GREENWALD 1998, MEMORY, CONTEXT, STIMULUS ONSET ASYNCHRONIES
in
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition
volume
26
pages
973 - 1004
publisher
American Psychological Association (APA)
external identifiers
  • scopus:0034220225
ISSN
0278-7393
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
cd8cfff8-1dfe-4f75-9cd8-1b83e5d49dce (old id 939961)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 16:00:05
date last changed
2022-04-22 18:59:20
@article{cd8cfff8-1dfe-4f75-9cd8-1b83e5d49dce,
  abstract     = {{Three event-related potential (ERP) experiments examined whether semantic content can be accessed From visually presented words that cannot he consciously identified. Category labels were shown to participants, followed by masked, briefly exposed words that were either exemplars of the category or not exemplars. The task was to verify the category, by guessing if necessary, and to identify the word naming it if possible. Exposure durations were selected to allow identification in approximately half the trials. For identified words, there was a marked difference in the ERP response between in-category and out-of-category words because of an N400 component. For unidentified words, there was a similar although smaller difference. Conscious identification was defined using a variety of approaches: verbal report 6-alternative forced choice, and binary categorization (in the context of the regression method; A. G. Greenwald, M. R. Klinger, & E. S. Schuh, 1995). By any definition, ERPs for unidentified words showed evidence of semantic processing. In addition, there were differences in the neuronal populations recruited to process above-threshold versus below-threshold words, suggesting qualitative differences.}},
  author       = {{Stenberg, Georg and Lindgren, Magnus and Johansson, Mikael and Olsson, Andreas and Rosén, Ingmar}},
  issn         = {{0278-7393}},
  keywords     = {{VISUAL WORD RECOGNITION; UNCONSCIOUS PERCEPTION; ASSOCIATIVE ACTIVATION; BRAIN POTENTIALS; N400; LEXICAL DECISION; GREENWALD 1998; MEMORY; CONTEXT; STIMULUS ONSET ASYNCHRONIES}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{973--1004}},
  publisher    = {{American Psychological Association (APA)}},
  series       = {{Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition}},
  title        = {{Semantic processing without conscious identification: Evidence from event-related potentials}},
  volume       = {{26}},
  year         = {{2000}},
}