title: Conceptual Integration of Arithmetic Operations With Real-World Knowledge: Evidence From Event-Related Potentials.
abstract: Research on language processing has shown that the disruption of conceptual integration gives rise to specific patterns of event-related brain potentials (ERPs)-N400 and P600 effects. Here, we report similar ERP effects when adults performed cross-domain conceptual integration of analogous semantic and mathematical relations. In a problem-solving task, when participants generated labeled answers to semantically aligned and misaligned arithmetic problems (e.g., 6 roses + 2 tulips = ? vs. 6 roses + 2 vases = ?), the second object label in misaligned problems yielded an N400 effect for addition (but not division) problems. In a verification task, when participants judged arithmetically correct but semantically misaligned problem sentences to be "unacceptable," the second object label in misaligned sentences elicited a P600 effect. Thus, depending on task constraints, misaligned problems can show either of two ERP signatures of conceptual disruption. These results show that well-educated adults can integrate mathematical and semantic relations on the rapid timescale of within-domain ERP effects by a process akin to analogical mapping.
authors: Los Alamos National Laboratory.
authors: Amy M
authors: AM
authors: Guthormsen
authors: Microsoft Studios.
authors: Kristie J
authors: KJ
authors: Fisher
authors: University of Washington.
authors: Miriam
authors: M
authors: Bassok
authors: University of Washington.
authors: Lee
authors: L
authors: Osterhout
authors: University of California, Los Angeles.
authors: Melissa
authors: M
authors: DeWolf
authors: University of California, Los Angeles.
authors: Keith J
authors: KJ
authors: Holyoak
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D032882:Comprehension / Q000502:physiology; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019359:Knowledge; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011340:Problem Solving / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Analogical mapping; ERP; Mathematical reasoning; N400 effect; P600 effect; Semantic alignment