Modulation of event-related potentials by the repetition of drawings of novel objects

In experiment 1, event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded from 13 scalp sites while subjects viewed a series of line drawings of novel objects. Most of the drawings were of objects that were structurally possible, while the remainder were of structurally impossible objects; the task was to respond to each presentation of an impossible object. Approximately one third of the possible objects were repetitions of the immediately preceding drawing. Compared to the ERPs elicited by first presentations, the ERPs elicited by repetitions were more negative-going. This negative repetition effect comprised two temporally and topographically distinct components. In experiment 2, subjects monitored drawings of unstructured patterns, so as to detect occasional 'targets' containing a pair of parallel lines. Repetitions of 'non-target' patterns elicited ERPs which were largely indistinguishable from those elicited by first presentations. Thus, the negative repetition effects found in experiment 1 are not merely a consequence of repeating visual patterns in a demanding discrimination task. Possible reasons why novel objects should elicit ERP repetition effects opposite in polarity to those observed in tasks employing verbal or meaningful pictorial stimuli are discussed.