ERP correlates of phoneme perception in speech and sound contexts

To address the question of the existence of a phonetic module for speech perception, event-related potentials were recorded using a 32 channel system in subjects performing a detection task where the target was the ambiguous, noise-like phoneme /f/ presented either among syllables (speech context) or among environmental sounds (non-speech context). Significant context effects were observed on the N2/P3 complex elicited by the target. In particular, a well localized N2b (250-280 ms) appeared at the left temporoparietal sites on the difference wave between contexts as the result of an enhanced negativity when the target was presented among non-speech stimuli. These findings suggest the involvement of the left temporoparietal region in autonomous, modular processes of speech perception.