7: What about morphology?

What distinguishes regular from irregular past tense forms in English?

Regular forms follow rule-based inflection (e.g., walk → walked), while irregular forms are stored as whole units (e.g., run → ran).

What does the dual-mechanism model propose for morphological processing?

Regular forms are processed via rule-based composition (procedural memory), irregular forms are stored in declarative memory.

What ERP component is typically associated with regular morphological violations?

LAN (Left Anterior Negativity), reflecting rule-based decomposition.

What ERP component is linked to the detection of syntactic or morphological anomalies across both regular and irregular forms?

P600, indicating reanalysis or repair processes.

What difference in N400 responses supports the dual-mechanism theory?

Regular forms show N400 priming effects (decomposition), irregular forms often do not (lexical retrieval).

What is the primary EEG finding for derivational rule violations?

LAN effects for morphosyntactic violations; N400 when semantic integration fails.

How do transparent vs. opaque derivations differ in ERP priming studies?

Transparent pairs elicit stronger N250/N400 reductions; opaque pairs show reduced or no priming effects.

What does form priming (e.g., scandal – scan) reveal?

Early N250 effects suggesting prelexical processing; can be confused with morphological processing if not carefully controlled.

What is the key issue with derivational morphology in EEG studies?

Mixed results and overlap between form, meaning, and structure effects—supporting dual-route or converging-code models.

What factors influence compound word processing?

Semantic transparency, morpheme frequency, and headedness.

What evidence supports morphological decomposition in compounds?

Novel compounds show more decomposition-based activation than frequent compounds, suggesting frequency-based storage.

What brain regions are associated with regular inflectional processing?

Left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), basal ganglia, and cerebellum.

What brain regions are associated with irregular morphological processing?

Left temporal and temporoparietal cortices (declarative memory).

What does the P600 component indicate about morphological violations?

A general syntactic integration or repair process, common to both regular and irregular forms.

How does MEG support early morphological decomposition?

M170 and M350 components localize early decomposition to the left fronto-temporal cortex.