Lexical Retrieval Meets Lexical Composition

Practice flashcards covering key methodological concepts and neuroscience terms related to lexical retrieval and composition.

Methodological descriptors

Two general kinds: Behavioral and Non-behavioral, which interact with offline and online methodologies.

Behavioral methods

Methods that build on subject awareness, such as grammaticality judgments, self-paced reading, and eye-tracking.

Non-behavioral methods

Methods that transcend subject awareness, such as ERP, fMRI, and PET.

Dependent variable

A measurable factor that is used to determine the outcome of an experiment.

Binary conscious response

A yes-no type of grammaticality judgment.

Constrained linguistic choice

An assessment where participants fill in the blank based on context.

Time fluctuations

Variations observed in reaction time, reading time, and eye-fixation time.

Latency in ERP

The time it takes for brain-generated electrical fluctuations to occur after a stimulus.

fMRI

A non-behavioral offline method that measures changes in blood flow related to brain activity.

N400 component

An ERP component associated with semantic processing and identified by a negative peak.

LAN (Left Anterior Negativity)

An ERP component related to syntactic processing, particularly in early sentence comprehension.

P600 component

An ERP component linked to syntactic violations that occurs after about 500 ms.

GAP-search

The cognitive mechanism triggered by the retrieval of a relative pronoun to fill a gap in syntax.

Dorsal pathway

A neural pathway involved in mapping sound to articulation.

Ventral pathway

A pathway involved in mapping sound to meaning, facilitating language comprehension.

ELAN (Early Left Anterior Negativity)

An ERP index showing earlier processing of syntactic composition than semantic composition.

Judgments

Reports on the acceptability of linguistic constructions by speakers.

PET (Positron Emission Tomography)

A non-behavioral method that uses a radioactive marker to visualize changes in cerebral blood flow.

MEG (Magnetoencephalography)

A method for measuring the magnetic fields produced by brain activity, offering excellent temporal resolution.