The role of non-linguistic contexts on incremental semantic comprehension (squid_relation2)

This ERP study investigates the role of non-linguistic contexts on incremental semantic comprehension. We used a picture-sentence verification task to investigate the neurophysiological correlates of contextual adaptation effects. Specifically, we manipulated the ratio of experimental and filler sentences and tested whether this frequency manipulation constrains the contextual restriction of the universal quantifier alle (`all'). Previous studies suggest that the local truth evaluation may be postponed when the experimental setting is completely ambiguous with respect to whether an upcoming restriction may follow. In the current study, we used a 1:4 ratio of restricted vs. non-restricted sentences and thereby tested whether a low restriction probability increases the likelihood of an immediate truth value assignment. Our results show that experiment-inherent frequency distributions can immediately modulate the amplitude of the N400, analogous to previous studies on speaker reliability.