TY - JOUR

T1 - It is not what you think it is: ERP correlates of verbal and non-verbal ambiguity processing

AU - Filippova, V.G.

AU - Scherbakova, O.V.

AU - Shtyrov, Y.Y.

PY - 2019

Y1 - 2019

N2 - Perceptual information is often ambiguous and we have to deal with such ambiguity to ensure optimal behavior; yet, the mechanisms that our brain uses for processing ambiguous stimuli are not well understood. In the current study, we tested whether there were any common markers of neural processing of ambiguity, regardless of its type. To this end, ERPs (event-related potentials) were elicited under similar experimental conditions by either verbal or non-verbal information: ambiguous figures vs. verbal jokes. It has been suggested that ambiguous graphical information triggers a mismatch conflict at earlier stages of processing, whereas in case of perception of ambiguous written texts, it takes place at later stages, associated with semantic analysis. Results of our experiment show that perception of both ambiguous figures and verbal jokes was related to semantic reversion, as the amplitude of the negative-going N400 component increased in response to both pictorial and verbal stimuli that were correctly identified as having more than one meaning, in contrast to otherwise similar but unambiguous control stimuli.

AB - Perceptual information is often ambiguous and we have to deal with such ambiguity to ensure optimal behavior; yet, the mechanisms that our brain uses for processing ambiguous stimuli are not well understood. In the current study, we tested whether there were any common markers of neural processing of ambiguity, regardless of its type. To this end, ERPs (event-related potentials) were elicited under similar experimental conditions by either verbal or non-verbal information: ambiguous figures vs. verbal jokes. It has been suggested that ambiguous graphical information triggers a mismatch conflict at earlier stages of processing, whereas in case of perception of ambiguous written texts, it takes place at later stages, associated with semantic analysis. Results of our experiment show that perception of both ambiguous figures and verbal jokes was related to semantic reversion, as the amplitude of the negative-going N400 component increased in response to both pictorial and verbal stimuli that were correctly identified as having more than one meaning, in contrast to otherwise similar but unambiguous control stimuli.

KW - ambiguity perception

KW - event-related potentials (ERP)

KW - N400

KW - N200

KW - brain

KW - figure processing

KW - jokes comprehension

KW - humor

KW - ВОСПРИЯТИЕ МНОГОЗНАЧНОЙ ИНФОРМАЦИИ

KW - вызванные потенциалы (ВП)

KW - мозг

KW - Обработка изображений

KW - ПОНИМАНИЕ ШУТОК

KW - юмор

UR - https://www.elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=37069927

M3 - Article

VL - 69

SP - 175

EP - 186

JO - ЖУРНАЛ ВЫСШЕЙ НЕРВНОЙ ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТИ ИМ. И.П. ПАВЛОВА

JF - ЖУРНАЛ ВЫСШЕЙ НЕРВНОЙ ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТИ ИМ. И.П. ПАВЛОВА

SN - 0044-4677

IS - 2

ER -