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At least 991 records · Page 55Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

SCRIPTKELL: a tool for measuring cognitive effort and time processing in writing and other complex cognitive activities.

We present SCRIPTKELL, a computer-assisted experimental tool that makes it possible to measure the time and cognitive effort allocated to the subprocesses of writing and other cognitive activities. SCRIPTKELL was designed to easily use and modulate Kellogg's (1986) triple-task procedure, which consists of a combination of three tasks: a writing task (or another task), a reaction time task (auditory signal detection), and a directed retrospection task (after each signal detection during writing). We demonstrate how this tool can be used to address several novel empirical and theoretical issues. In sum, SCRIPTKELL should facilitate the flexible realization of experimental designs and the investigation of critical issues concerning the functional characteristics of complex cognitive activities.

Cognition↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[The application of informatics to mercury gauge plethysmography].

In this study, the authors present a computerized mercury-gauge plethysmography device. The electrical signals collected by the plethysmograph are sent to the computer where they are analyzed by a specially devised interpretation program. The graphs are flashed on the screen, the parameters are automatically and instantly calculated, and a printed-out medical report may be obtained at the end of the test. The various characteristics of the material and the program are presented.

Data Display↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Visual word perception and semantic processing: an electrophysiological perspective.

This paper reports data from three experiments in which semantic priming effects were investigated using the event-related potentials (ERP) technique. In the first experiment, a specific electrophysiological manifestation of semantic priming was demonstrated, and it was related to a previously reported negative component--N400. In the second experiment, it was suggested that the N400 wave does not directly reflect disconfirmation of subjects' expectations, but that it is related to semantic activation and is affected by the amount of lexical processing. In the third experiment, it was demonstrated that priming effects are also evident in natural reading, without any time constraints imposed by the task. It is concluded that the ERP technique provides an important tool in cognitive research in general, and language processing in particular.

Brain↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The cerebellum's role in reading: a functional MR imaging study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Long considered to have a role limited largely to motor-related functions, the cerebellum has recently been implicated as being involved in both perceptual and cognitive processes. Our purpose was to determine whether cerebellar activation occurs during cognitive tasks that differentially engage the component processes of word identification in reading. METHODS: Forty-two neurologically normal adults underwent functional MR imaging of the cerebellum with a gradient-echo echo-planar technique while performing tasks designed to study the cognitive processing used in reading. A standard levels-of-processing paradigm was used. Participants were asked to determine whether pairs of words were written in the same case (orthographic processing), whether pairs of words and non-words rhymed with each other, respectively (phonologic assembly), and whether pairs of words belonged to the same category (semantic processing). Composite maps were generated from a general linear model based on a randomization of statistical parametric maps. RESULTS: During phonologic assembly, cerebellar activation was observed in the middle and posterior aspects of the posterior superior fissure and adjacent simple lobule and semilunar lobule bilaterally and in posterior aspects of the simple lobule, superior semilunar lobule, and inferior semilunar lobule bilaterally. Semantic processing, however, resulted in activation in the deep nuclear region on the right and in the inferior vermis, in addition to posterior areas active in phonologic assembly, including the simple, superior semilunar, and inferior semilunar lobules. CONCLUSION: The cerebellum is engaged during reading and differentially activates in response to phonologic and semantic tasks. These results indicate that the cerebellum contributes to the cognitive processes integral to reading.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Word imageability and N400 in an incidental memory paradigm.

High imagery words are memorized better than low imagery words. To examine how these words are processed at encoding, event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded in an incidental memory paradigm. Frequency-matched high and low imagery words (45 words each) were presented in a random order on a computer screen. Twelve university students were asked to rate the imageability of a word's referent on a five-point scale. High imagery words elicited a larger N400 than low imagery words did. The N400 was more left-lateralized for low imagery words than for high imagery words, suggesting that some neural generators (probably in the right hemisphere) were not involved in the processing of low imagery words. Difference waveforms showed that the N400 was followed by a second negativity (N800), which was also larger for high imagery words and had a scalp distribution similar to that of the N400. Subsequent free recall showed a classical imagery effect that high imagery words were recalled better than low imagery words. These results suggest that the superiority of high imagery words over low imagery words in incidental memory results from more extensive activation of a semantic network distributed across the left and right hemispheres, the latter of which probably deals with imagery-related information that is not activated by low imagery words.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

The status of 'canonical SVO sentences' in French: a developmental study of the on-line processing of dislocated sentences.

This on-line study investigates the processing of word order by 30 French children (6;6, 8;6, 10;6) and 10 adults. Its main objective is to show that the privileged status granted to 'canonical SVO sentences' is inadequate to account for the on-line processing of pronominal utterances in spoken French. Using a word monitoring task, we showed that word order (NVN vs NNV): (1) is a significant factor in sentences containing no clitic pronoun; (2) stops being significant when sentences contain either one or two clitic pronouns. These results suggest that processing complexity depends upon co-reference ('linear', 'crossed' or 'embedding') assignment constraints rather than upon word order per se. We conclude that, in French, word-order processing always interacts with acceptability considerations provided by cliticization.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Asymmetries in the processing of Arabic digits and number words.

Numbers can be represented as Arabic digits ("6") or as number words ("six"). The present study investigated potential processing differences between the two notational formats. In view of the previous finding (e.g., Potter & Faulconer, 1975) that objects are named slower, but semantically categorized faster, than corresponding words, it was investigated whether a similar interaction between stimulus format and task could be obtained with numbers. Experiment 1 established that number words were named faster than corresponding digits, but only if the two notation formats were presented in separate experimental blocks. Experiment 2 contrasted naming with a numerical magnitude judgment task and demonstrated an interaction between notation and task, with slower naming but faster magnitude judgment latencies for digits than for number words. These findings suggest that processing of the two notation formats is asymmetric, with digits gaining rapid access to numerical magnitude representations, but slower access to lexical codes, and the reverse for number words.

Attention↗
PubMed2000

Word frequency effects on the processing of subject-verb number agreement.

This paper examines the role of word frequency in the computation of subject-verb number agreement. Previous research in both production and comprehension has demonstrated that processing difficulties can arise in sentence structures containing a singular subject noun followed by a plural "distractor" noun, as in The key to the cabinets.... A whole sentence reading task was employed to determine whether the relative frequency with which the distractor noun appears in its singular or plural form would affect the degree of processing difficulty experienced by readers. Results suggest that the agreement process is, indeed, sensitive to this factor and this finding is compatible with activation-based accounts of the implementation of number agreement.

Humans↗
PubMed2006

Plasticity in the adult language system: a longitudinal electrophysiological study on second language learning.

Event-related potentials (ERPs) were used to trace changes in brain activity related to progress in second language learning. Twelve English-speaking exchange students learning German in Switzerland were recruited. ERPs to visually presented single words from the subjects' native language (English), second language (German) and an unknown language (Romansh) were measured before (day 1) and after (day 2) 5 months of intense German language learning. When comparing ERPs to German words from day 1 and day 2, we found topographic differences between 396 and 540 ms. These differences could be interpreted as a latency shift indicating faster processing of German words on day 2. Source analysis indicated that the topographic differences were accounted for by shorter activation of left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) on day 2. In ERPs to English words, we found Global Field Power differences between 472 and 644 ms. This may due to memory traces related to English words being less easily activated on day 2. Alternatively, it might reflect the fact that--with German words becoming familiar on day 2--English words loose their oddball character and thus produce a weaker P300-like effect on day 2. In ERPs to Romansh words, no differences were observed. Our results reflect plasticity in the neuronal networks underlying second language acquisition. They indicate that with a higher level of second language proficiency, second language word processing is faster and requires shorter frontal activation. Thus, our results suggest that the reduced IFG activation found in previous fMRI studies might not reflect a generally lower activation but rather a shorter duration of activity.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

A neural basis for lexical retrieval.

Two parallel studies using positron emission tomography, one conducted in neurological patients with brain lesions, the other in normal individuals, indicate that the normal process of retrieving words that denote concrete entities depends in part on multiple regions of the left cerebral hemisphere, located outside the classic language areas. Moreover, anatomically separable regions tends to process words for distinct kinds of items.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Equivalent current dipole of word repetition effects in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

We investigated cortical source localization of word repetition effects in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) by employing the equivalent current dipole (ECD) model with high-density 128 channels EEG and individual MRI as a realistic head model. Twelve OCD patients and 13 healthy control subjects performed a word/nonword discrimination task, in which the words and nonwords were visually presented, and some of the words appeared twice with a lag of one or five items. During the 200-500 ms post-stimulus period, the control group showed more positivity in the ERPs elicited by old words than in those elicited by new words, whereas the OCD patients did not. Furthermore, the OCD patients showed prolonged response times to the old words, as compared to the controls. We calculated the location and the power of the ECD sources at approximately 400 ms post-stimulus with the peak mean global field potentials. In both groups, the sources of word repetition effects were determined to be located in the inferior frontal gyrus. The right ECD powers of the ERP generators elicited by the new words were significantly higher in the OCD patients than in the control subjects. The OCD patients also exhibited significant alterations in the hemispheric asymmetry of ECD power during the processing of new words. These results suggest that OCD patients suffer from the encoding deficits in word processing, particularly in the left hemisphere.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Electrophysiologic indices of Stroop and Garner interference reveal linguistic influences on auditory and visual processing.

The purpose of this study was to examine linguistic influences on the auditory and visual processing of words both behaviorally and electrophysiologically. Our task yielded measures of the effect of irrelevant semantic content (Stroop interference) and of the effect of irrelevant linguistic variability (Garner interference). The behavioral results allow us to assess whether the linguistic and nonlinguistic dimensions of verbal stimuli are processed dependently or independently. The electrophysiologic results allow us to determine where any processing interactions are arising, particularly regarding perceptual versus postperceptual underpinnings, and to evaluate the similarity and dissimilarity between the two interference effects. Results show pronounced Stroop and Garner interference both behaviorally and electrophysiologically, indicating linguistic influences on auditory and visual processing. Subjects could not ignore the irrelevant linguistic dimension and attend selectively to the physical dimension of either spoken or written words. The results indicate that the physical and linguistic dimensions of words are not processed independently. With regard to the stage of processing underlying the interference effects, our results suggest that both Stroop and Garner interference involve multiple stages of processing. The two interference effects are not duplicate measures, however, and different electrophysiologic signatures were observed. Stroop interference is characterized by perceptual and postperceptual components. Similar electrophysiologic patterns within the auditory and visual modalities suggest that each interference effect is tapping similar processes for spoken and written stimuli.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Dynamics of brain activation during an explicit word and image recognition task: an electrophysiological study.

Recent brain imaging studies suggest that semantic processing of words and images may share a common neural network, although modality-specific activation can also be observed. Other studies using event-related potentials (ERPs) report that brain responses to words and images may already differ at approximately 150 ms following stimulus presentation. The question thus remains, which differences are due to perceptual categorization processes and which differences are due to the semantic ones? Using ERP recordings and spatio-temporal source localization analysis, we investigated the dynamics of brain activation during a recognition task. The stimuli consisted of a randomized set of verbal (words vs. non-words) and pictorial items (line drawings of objects vs. scrambled drawings). After each stimulus, subjects had to decide whether it corresponds to a recognizable word or objects. ERP map series were first analyzed in terms of segments of quasi-stable map topography using a cluster analysis. This showed that verbal and pictorial stimuli elicited different field patterns in two time segments between approximately 190-400 ms. Before and after this period, map patterns were similar between verbal and pictorial conditions indicating that the same brain structures were engaged during the early and late steps of processing. Source localization analysis of map segments corresponding to the P100 and the N150 components first showed activation of posterior bilateral regions and then of left temporo-posterior areas. During the period differentiating conditions, other patterns of activation, involving mainly left anterior and posterior regions for words and bilateral posterior regions for images, were observed. These findings suggest that, while sharing an initial common network, recognition of verbal and pictorial stimuli subsequently engage different brain regions during time periods generally allocated to the semantic processing of stimuli.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed2000

Modeling spoken word recognition performance by pediatric cochlear implant users using feature identification.

OBJECTIVE: Computational simulations were carried out to evaluate the appropriateness of several psycholinguistic theories of spoken word recognition for children who use cochlear implants. These models also investigate the interrelations of commonly used measures of closed-set and open-set tests of speech perception. DESIGN: A software simulation of phoneme recognition performance was developed that uses feature identification scores as input. Two simulations of lexical access were developed. In one, early phoneme decisions are used in a lexical search to find the best matching candidate. In the second, phoneme decisions are made only when lexical access occurs. Simulated phoneme and word identification performance was then applied to behavioral data from the Phonetically Balanced Kindergarten test and Lexical Neighborhood Test of open-set word recognition. Simulations of performance were evaluated for children with prelingual sensorineural hearing loss who use cochlear implants with the MPEAK or SPEAK coding strategies. RESULTS: Open-set word recognition performance can be successfully predicted using feature identification scores. In addition, we observed no qualitative differences in performance between children using MPEAK and SPEAK, suggesting that both groups of children process spoken words similarly despite differences in input. Word recognition ability was best predicted in the model in which phoneme decisions were delayed until lexical access. CONCLUSIONS: Closed-set feature identification and open-set word recognition focus on different, but related, levels of language processing. Additional insight for clinical intervention may be achieved by collecting both types of data. The most successful model of performance is consistent with current psycholinguistic theories of spoken word recognition. Thus it appears that the cognitive process of spoken word recognition is fundamentally the same for pediatric cochlear implant users and children and adults with normal hearing.

Case-Control Studies↗
PubMed1990

Facilitation of memory performance through induced semantic processing in survivors of severe closed-head injury.

This study examined whether survivors of severe closed-head injury (CHI) show a relative benefit in memory for words that are processed semantically versus words that are processed physically or acoustically. Sixteen long-term CHI patients and 14 demographically matched controls were administered a Levels of Processing paradigm involving detection of semantic (categorical), physical (letter), or acoustic (rhyme) features of to-be-remembered words. Semantic processing enhanced recognition memory and cued recall in the CHI patients, but the degree of facilitation was reduced relative to controls. The results indicate that attention to semantic features facilitates memory performance in survivors but may require greater cognitive effort. Implications for the remediation of memory impairments following CHI are discussed.

Attention↗
PubMed1983

Efficiency of automatic depth in processing in the elderly.

Initial encoding of information in the elderly was examined within the framework of controlled vs automatic processing. Controlled processing demands conscious effort, whereas automatic processing is cost-free in this regard. The suggestion is that adequate encoding and storage could be hindered if semantic depth is not accessed automatically. A task developed by Warren to investigate automatic processing in young Ss was used to test whether words reached semantic levels automatically in elderly Ss. Twenty-four females, 12 young and 12 old, heard word triads. Each triad was followed by visual presentation of a single word in colored ink. For both young and old Ss, color-naming latency for the visual words was significantly higher if the word itself was present in the auditory triad. This indicated that the visual words were processed to the level of meaning automatically in both young and old Ss.

Adult↗