Missed prime words within the attentional blink evoke an N400 semantic priming effect

Abstract

When subjects identified a target among distractors in a rapid serial visual presentation task, the detection of a subsequent target is impaired (attentional blink). By measuring event-related potentials (ERPs) we investigated if the processing of an unidentified prime word elicits the N400 semantic priming effect. Subjects (N = 12) had to identify three target words among distractors in a rapid serial visual presentation task. We varied the association strength between a prime (second target) and a probe (third target). The detection of the prime was impaired. Missed primes did not elicit a P300, indicating that they were not explicitly recognized. Despite this difference between recognized and missed primes, the N400 effect was present in both cases. This result suggests that automatic spread of activation (ASA) can be evoked by missed primes within the attentional blink. It furthermore demonstrates that ASA is sufficient to evoke the N400 effect.

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An event-related potential study of semantic style-match judgments of artistic furniture

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“…In trials with successful report of both targets, each target produces a positively peaking evoked response potential (ERP) occurring approximately 300 ms after target onset (Luck et al 1996;McArthur et al 1999)-a so-called P300 (Donchin 1981). Interestingly, however, this P300 component has been found to be largely or completely suppressed in trials where T2 is ''blinked'', hence, cannot be reported (Dell'Acqua et al 2003;Kranczioch et al 2003;Luck et al 1996;McArthur et al 1999;Rolke 2001;Vogel and Luck 2002). Comparable observations could be made in MEG analyses, where M300, the magnetic equivalent of the P300, is also attenuated or even suppressed in blink trials (Kessler et al 2005a;Shapiro et al, submitted).…”