Prediction is pervasive in human cognition and plays a central role in language comprehension. At an electrophysiological level, this cognitive function contributes substantially in determining the amplitude of the N400. In fact, the amplitude of the N400 to words within a sentence has been shown to depend on how predictable those words are: The more predictable a word, the smaller the N400 elicited. However, predictive processing can be based on different sources of information that allow anticipation of upcoming constituents and integration in context. In this study, we investigated the ERPs elicited during the comprehension of idioms, that is, prefabricated multiword strings stored in semantic memory. When a reader recognizes a string of words as an idiom before the idiom ends, she or he can develop expectations concerning the incoming idiomatic constituents. We hypothesized that the expectations driven by the activation of an idiom might differ from those driven by discourse-based constraints. To this aim, we compared the ERP waveforms elicited by idioms and two literal control conditions. The results showed that, in both cases, the literal conditions exhibited a more negative potential than the idiomatic condition. Our analyses suggest that before idiom recognition the effect is due to modulation of the N400 amplitude, whereas after idiom recognition a P300 for the idiomatic sentence has a fundamental role in the composition of the effect. These results suggest that two distinct predictive mechanisms are at work during language comprehension, based respectively on probabilistic information and on categorical template matching.
We collected norms on the gender stereotypicality of an extensive list of role nouns in Czech, English, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, and Slovak to be used as a basis for the selection of stimulus material in future studies. We present a web-based tool (https://www.unifr.ch/lcg/) that we developed to collect these norms and that we expect to be useful for other researchers as well. In essence, we provide (a) norms across languages and (b) a tool to facilitate cross-language as well as cross-cultural comparisons when researchers are interested in the investigation of the impact of stereotypicality on the processing of role nouns.Gender stereotypes across seven languagesNorms on the gender perception of role nouns in Czech, English, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, and Slovak Thoughts and conceptual categorizations, as well as their relation to language, have long been studied and debated in cognitive psychology (e.g., Phillips & Boroditsky, 2003; Slobin, 1996). Within this domain, the mental representation of gender has been of particular interest, as research revealed its reliance on both properties of the language, such as grammatical gender, and perceivers' concepts, such as stereotypes (e.g., Carreiras, Garnham, Oakhill, & Cain, 1996; Gygax, Gabriel, Sarrasin, Oakhill, & Garnham, 2008; Stahlberg, Braun, Irmen, & Sczesny, 2007).Research that aims at disentangling the impact of these sources can greatly profit from cross-linguistic and/or cross-cultural comparisons. To facilitate such research, the present study has two objectives:First, we provide norms on the gender stereotypicality (or conceptual gender) of an extensive number of role nouns in seven European languages. These norms enable researchers to take gender-associations into account when selecting stimulus material especially for cross-linguistic or cross-cultural studies. Second, we present a web-based tool that we developed for the collection of these norms in different languages. This tool takes into account cross-linguistic variations in with the way that the gender of nouns with human referents is grammatically encoded, so that equivalent procedures can be used with each language. More specifically, a questionnaire design was created that can be used despite such variations. As outlined below, the existence of grammatical gender in some languages, but not others, had implications for the questionnaire format used in this study. As a side effect, the tool can easily be extended for use with further languages. We believe that this tool will, therefore, be a valuable resource for researchers in various psychological disciplines Gender stereotypes across seven languages ! 5 who wish to systematically collect norms for different languages and/or from specific populations, for future studies.Grammatical gender refers to a type of noun classification. In relation to this classification, most European languages can be assigned to one of the following four categories (Braun, Oakhill, & Garnham, 2011) : grammatical gender (e.g. French), ...
We investigated the extent to which the literal meanings of the words forming literally-plausible idioms (e.g., break the ice) are semantically composed, and how the idiomatic meaning is integrated in the unfolding sentence representation. Participants read ambiguous idiom strings embedded in highly predictable, literal and idiomatic contexts, while their EEG was recorded. Control sentences only contained the idiom-final word whose cloze values were as high as in literal and idiomatic contexts. Event Related Potentials data showed that differences in the amplitude of a Frontal positivity (PNP) emerged at the beginning and at the end of the idiom strings, with the Idiomatic context condition associated with more positive voltages. The Time-Frequency analysis of the EEG showed an increase in power of the middle gamma frequency band only in the Literal context condition. These findings suggest that sentence revision mechanisms, associated with the frontal PNP, are involved in idiom meaning integration, and that the literal semantic composition of the idiomatic constituents, associated with changes in gamma frequency, is not carried out after idiom recognition
We often see an upsurge of humor inspired by tragic circumstances: this happened also during the Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) outbreak. However, little is known about the emotional response to tragedy-triggered humor, let alone Covid-19 humor. With a largescale survey completed during the early stages of Italy's lockdown, we studied the appreciation (funniness and aversiveness) of different formats of Covid-19 humor shared on social media. Results of an analysis of the role of demographic, personality, and psychological distance factors with linear mixed models showed that Covid-19 humor lacks a "signature" of funniness, but displays a mark of aversiveness. Among demographics, age and gender were key factors: with increasing age and in women, Covid-19 humor was judged as more aversive. Individuals using humor to cope with uneasy circumstances judged Covid-19 humor as funnier and less aversive. Furthermore, the perceived risk of infection amplified Covid-19 humor aversiveness, while kilometrical distance from the first Italian contagion hotspot raised the amusement in global terms. These findings expand our knowledge about dark humor and should raise awareness of the great variation in the emotional impact of Covid-19 humor and of the need to ponder where and with whom to share the laugh about the pandemic.
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