Semantic sentence processing reflected in the event-related potentials of one- and two-year-old children

The present study used the N400, an electrophysiological correlate of semantic processing, to investigate 19- and 24-month-old children's ability to integrate the meaning of words in a sentential context. Children listened passively to semantically appropriate sentences and to sentences in which the object noun violates the selection restriction of the verb. The event-related potentials of both age groups revealed an N400 on inappropriate object nouns. This indicates that the children are able to semantically integrate words into sentence contexts. Furthermore, the result implies that selection restrictions are part of the children's first verb representations.