title: Electrophysiological evidence for two steps in syntactic analysis. Early automatic and late controlled processes.
abstract: In this study we examined the properties of the processes involved in the structural analysis of sentences using event-related brain potential measures (ERP). Previous research had shown two ERP components to correlate with phrase structure violations: an early left anterior negativity (ELAN), which is assumed to reflect first-pass parsing processes, and a late parietally distributed positivity (P600), assumed to reflect second-pass parsing processes. We hypothesized that the first-pass parsing processes are highly automatic, whereas second-pass parsing processes are more controlled. To test this hypothesis we varied the proportion of correct sentences and sentences containing phrase structure violations with incorrect sentences being either of a low (20% violation) or a high (80% violation) proportion. Results showed that the early left anterior negativity was elicited and equally pronounced under both proportion conditions. By contrast, the late positivity was elicited for a low proportion of incorrect sentences only. This data pattern suggests that first-pass parsing processes are automatic, whereas second-pass parsing processes are under participants' strategic control.
authors: Max-Plank-Institute of Cogniive Neuroscience, InselstraBe 22-26, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany. hahne@cns.mpg.de
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Hahne
authors: A D
authors: AD
authors: Friederici
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000328:Adult; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials; D005403:Fixation, Ocular; D006801:Humans; D007807:Language Tests; D008037:Linguistics; D008297:Male; D008959:Models, Neurological; D008960:Models, Psychological; D011897:Random Allocation