Semantic Context Effects in Picture and Sound Naming: Evidence from Event-related Potentials and Pupillometric Data

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Psycholinguistics

Background:

• Semantic interference effects are crucial for understanding word production theories.
• Previous research indicates larger semantic interference for naming environmental sounds compared to pictures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the neural and physiological mechanisms underlying the difference in semantic interference between picture and sound naming.
• To determine if differences in processing stages contribute to the observed effect.

Main Methods:

• Replication of behavioral findings on semantic interference in picture and sound naming.
• Utilized electroencephalography (EEG) and pupillometry to record brain activity and pupil dilation.
• Analyzed event-related potentials (ERPs) and pupillometric data in relation to naming latencies.

Main Results:

• Behavioral data confirmed larger semantic interference for sound naming.
• EEG data showed differences in ERPs over central and frontal electrodes for picture and sound naming.
• Pupillometry revealed stronger pupil dilation for sound naming in homogeneous contexts, correlating with naming latencies.

Conclusions:

• The enhanced semantic interference for sounds likely originates from later, post-lexical processing stages, specifically impacting phonological response preparation and self-monitoring.
• Auditory stimulus processing appears to interfere with articulation and monitoring, leading to greater semantic interference compared to visual stimuli.