Event-related potential indices of ambiguous sentence processing.
An event-related potential (ERP) probe was used to examine various models of ambiguous sentence processing. ERPs to light flashes were recorded during and immediately after auditorily presented ambiguous and unambiguous target sentences. Each target sentence was preceded by either a relevant or a neutral context sentence. Principal component analyses of the ERPs indicated that although certain components varied as a function of ambiguity, none of the components varied as a function of preceding context. These findings provided some support for a postdecision model of ambiguity processing which suggests that both meanings of an ambiguity are always processed, even when prior disambiguating context is available.
D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D004594:Electrophysiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008037:Linguistics; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D011578:Psycholinguistics