title: The organization of words and environmental sounds in memory.
abstract: In the present study we used event-related potentials to compare the organization of linguistic and meaningful nonlinguistic sounds in memory. We examined N400 amplitudes as adults viewed pictures presented with words or environmental sounds that matched the picture (Match), that shared semantic features with the expected match (Near Violation), and that shared relatively few semantic features with the expected match (Far Violation). Words demonstrated incremental N400 amplitudes based on featural similarity from 300-700ms, such that both Near and Far Violations exhibited significant N400 effects, however Far Violations exhibited greater N400 effects than Near Violations. For environmental sounds, Far Violations but not Near Violations elicited significant N400 effects, in both early (300-400ms) and late (500-700ms) time windows, though a graded pattern similar to that of words was seen in the mid-latency time window (400-500ms). These results indicate that the organization of words and environmental sounds in memory is differentially influenced by featural similarity, with a consistently fine-grained graded structure for words but not sounds.
authors.affiliation: Center for Research in Language, University of California, San Diego, USA; School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, San Diego State University, USA; Joint Doctoral Program in Language and Communicative Disorders, San Diego State University, USA. Electronic address: krhendricson@ucsd.edu.
authors.forename: Kristi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hendrickson
authors.affiliation: School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, San Diego State University, USA. Electronic address: mwalenski@ucsd.edu.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Walenski
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, USA. Electronic address: mfriend@mail.sdsu.edu.
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Friend
authors.affiliation: Center for Research in Language, University of California, San Diego, USA; School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, San Diego State University, USA. Electronic address: tlove@mail.sdsu.edu.
authors.forename: Tracy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Love
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004777:Environment; D005071:Evoked Potentials; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008037:Linguistics; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D013016:Sound; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: ERP; Environmental sound; N400; Semantic memory; Word