Electrophysiological correlates of auditory lexical decision: an attempt to test the "Cohort Model"

The electrophysiological correlates of spoken word recognition were investigated in an auditory lexical decision task. N4 and P7 waves were found at Cz and Pz for both words and nonwords, with significantly higher peak amplitudes for the latter; this result was independent of subject's sex and of hand usage for the task response. The results were then analyzed in terms of the "Recognition Point" for words and nonwords as defined in Marslen-Wilson's "Cohort Model" of auditory word recognition (Marslen-Wilson & Welsh 1978). A correlation was found between nonword "Recognition Point" latency and the associated late positive wave. The contribution of the "Cohort Model" to electrophysiological investigation of auditory word-recognition is discussed.