The role of affective meaning, semantic associates, and orthographic neighbours in modulating the N400 in single words

Abstract

AbstractThe N400has been seen to be larger for concrete than abstract words, and for pseudowords than real words. Using a word vector analysis to calculate semantic associates (SA), as well as ratings for emotional arousal (EA), and a measure of orthographic neighbourhood (ON), the present study investigated the relation between these factors and N400amplitudes during a lexical decision task using Swedish word stimuli. Four noun categories differing in concreteness:specific(squirrel),general(animal)emotional(happiness) andabstract(tendency) were compared withpseudowords(danalod). Results showed that N400amplitudes increased in the orderemotional<abstract<general<specific<pseudoword. A regression analysis showed that the amplitude of the N400decreased the more semantic associates a word had and the higher the rating for emotional arousal it had. The N400also increased the more orthographic neighbours a word had. Results provide support for the hierarchical organisation of concrete words assumed in lexical semantics. They also demonstrate how affective information facilitates meaning processing.