From N400 to N300: variations in the timing of semantic processing with repetition

The present study aimed to explore the variations of semantic processing according to the number of target words (i.e., 4, 12 and 24) and according to the number of repetitions (i.e, 1 to 15). The number of targets had no impact on the N400 brain potential, the index of semantic processing, nor on the late positive component (LPC), an index of episodic encoding and retrieval. Analyses of the effects of the number of repetitions showed that the duration of semantic processes--assessed by measuring N400 latency--was linearly shortened along repetitions while their extent--as indexed by N400 amplitude--remained constant after the second presentation. In contrast, the extent of episodic processes--as indexed by LPC amplitude--was found to increase linearly with repetition. By showing that N400 latency may be much less stable than previously thought, these results bring new constraints on the functional correlates of this key stage in the processing of semantic information. They also suggest that semantic processes can be studied at high repetition rates whatever the number of target stimuli. Finally, our findings show that each episode of prior presentation has an impact on the late processing of a stimulus despite the absence of an explicit memory task.