title: The N400-concreteness effect reflects the retrieval of semantic information during the preparation of meaningful actions.
abstract: The present ERP study investigated when and how action semantics, i.e. the conceptual knowledge that we acquired over the course of our lives, is activated during the preparation of object-directed actions. Subjects were required to grasp one of two objects and were implicitly instructed to either perform a meaningful action (e.g. moving a cup towards the mouth) or a meaningless action with the object (e.g. moving a cup towards the eye). A larger anterior N400 was found for the preparation of meaningful compared to meaningless actions, likely reflecting the retrieval of action semantic information in case a meaningful action was required with the object. The distribution and the latency of the anterior N400-effect were strongly related to standard N400-repetition effects, thereby further corroborating the semantic nature of the effect. In sum, the present study provides new insight in the neural and temporal dynamics underlying semantics for action.
authors.affiliation: Radboud University Nijmegen, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, The Netherlands. m.vanelk@donders.ru.nl
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van Elk
authors.forename: H T
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: van Schie
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bekkering
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D018737:Hand Strength / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology*; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012660:Semantics; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D055815:Young Adult