Journal article
Dynamic EEG analysis during language comprehension reveals interactive cascades between perceptual processing and sentential expectations
Brain and language, Vol.211, pp.104875-104875
12/2020
DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2020.104875
PMID: 33086178
Abstract
•Novel electroencephalography analysis shows how stages of speech perception relate.•Bottom-up activation: A representation of the acoustic signal persists up to 900 ms.•Processing cascades: Contextual integration is sensitive to fine-grained acoustics.•Top-down feedback: Sentential expectations can bias perceptual analysis in some cases.•Predictive coding: Veridical and biased representations are maintained concurrently.
Understanding spoken language requires analysis of the rapidly unfolding speech signal at multiple levels: acoustic, phonological, and semantic. However, there is not yet a comprehensive picture of how these levels relate. We recorded electroencephalography (EEG) while listeners (N = 31) heard sentences in which we manipulated acoustic ambiguity (e.g., a bees/peas continuum) and sentential expectations (e.g., Honey is made by bees). EEG was analyzed with a mixed effects model over time to quantify how language processing cascades proceed on a millisecond-by-millisecond basis. Our results indicate: (1) perceptual processing and memory for fine-grained acoustics is preserved in brain activity for up to 900 msec; (2) contextual analysis begins early and is graded with respect to the acoustic signal; and (3) top-down predictions influence perceptual processing in some cases, however, these predictions are available simultaneously with the veridical signal. These mechanistic insights provide a basis for a better understanding of the cortical language network.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Dynamic EEG analysis during language comprehension reveals interactive cascades between perceptual processing and sentential expectations
- Creators
- McCall E Sarrett - Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience, 356 Medical Research Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, United StatesBob McMurray - Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, W311 Seashore Hall, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, United StatesEfthymia C Kapnoula - Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, W311 Seashore Hall, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, United States
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Brain and language, Vol.211, pp.104875-104875
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.bandl.2020.104875
- PMID
- 33086178
- NLM abbreviation
- Brain Lang
- ISSN
- 0093-934X
- eISSN
- 1090-2155
- Publisher
- Elsevier Inc
- Grant note
- DOI: 10.13039/501100003329, name: Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, award: FJCI-2016-28019; DOI: 10.13039/501100011033, name: Agencia Estatal de Investigación, award: SEV-2015-0490; DOI: 10.13039/100000002, name: National Institutes of Health, award: DC008089; DOI: 10.13039/501100003086, name: Eusko Jaurlaritza
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 12/2020
- Academic Unit
- Communication Sciences and Disorders; Linguistics; Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute; Otolaryngology
- Record Identifier
- 9984070815502771
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