title: Reasoning from transitive premises: an EEG study.
abstract: Neuroimaging studies have contributed to a major advance in understanding the neural and cognitive mechanisms underpinning deductive reasoning. However, the dynamics of cognitive events associated with inference making have been largely neglected. Using electroencephalography, the present study aims at describing the rapid sequence of processes involved in performing transitive inference (A B; B C therefore "A C"; with AB meaning "A is to the left of B"). The results indicate that when the second premise can be integrated into the first one (e.g. A B; B C) its processing elicits a P3b component. In contrast, when the second premise cannot be integrated into the first premise (e.g. A B; D C), a P600-like components is elicited. These ERP components are discussed with respect to cognitive expectations.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire sur le Langage, le Cerveau et la Cognition (L2C2), CNRS - Institut des Sciences Cognitives, Université de Lyon 1, 67 Boulevard Pinel, 69675 Bron Cedex, France; Radboud University, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Kapittelweg 29, 6525 Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Electronic address: m.bonnefond@fcdonders.ru.nl.
authors.forename: Mathilde
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bonnefond
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire sur le Langage, le Cerveau et la Cognition (L2C2), CNRS - Institut des Sciences Cognitives, Université de Lyon 1, 67 Boulevard Pinel, 69675 Bron Cedex, France. Electronic address: tcastelain@isc.cnrs.fr.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Castelain
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire sur le Langage, le Cerveau et la Cognition (L2C2), CNRS - Institut des Sciences Cognitives, Université de Lyon 1, 67 Boulevard Pinel, 69675 Bron Cedex, France. Electronic address: acheylus@isc.cnrs.fr.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cheylus
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire sur le Langage, le Cerveau et la Cognition (L2C2), CNRS - Institut des Sciences Cognitives, Université de Lyon 1, 67 Boulevard Pinel, 69675 Bron Cedex, France. Electronic address: vanderhenst@isc.cnrs.fr.
authors.forename: Jean-Baptiste
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Van der Henst
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D018913:Event-Related Potentials, P300; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Expectation; Inference; N2; P300; P3b; P600; Transitive reasoning