Lingering expectations: A pseudo-repetition effect for words previously expected but not presented
Joost Rommers1, Kara D Federmeier2
1Department of Psychology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA; Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Neuroimage
|August 15, 2018
Summary
Disconfirmed predictions linger in memory, impacting later language processing. Even when not seen, expected words show effects similar to repeated words, demonstrating lasting consequences of prediction.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Psycholinguistics
- Electrophysiology
Background:
- Language prediction aids rapid processing.
- The fate of disconfirmed predictions in memory remains unclear.
- Investigating whether expectations persist or are suppressed after being unmet.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if disconfirmed predictions have downstream effects on memory and processing.
- To examine the persistence of expectations beyond immediate language comprehension.
- To differentiate between lingering predictions and actual word repetition effects.
Main Methods:
- Manipulated word presentation: participants saw words or only expected them.
- Used electroencephalography (EEG) to record brain activity (N400, LPC, alpha power).
- Probed memory by re-presenting words later to assess processing differences.
Main Results:
- Electrophysiological signatures confirmed expectation formation and disconfirmation.
- Repeated words showed reduced N400, enhanced late positive complex (LPC), and decreased alpha power.
- Previously expected but unseen words also attenuated the N400, a 'pseudo-repetition effect'.
Conclusions:
- Disconfirmed predictions can linger in cognitive processing.
- Prediction has demonstrable downstream consequences beyond immediate language understanding.
- This suggests a persistent trace of unmet expectations in memory systems.
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