HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Bahlmann, J. Articles by Friederici, A. D. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Bahlmann, J. Articles by Friederici, A. D.

Hierarchical and Linear Sequence Processing: An Electrophysiological Exploration of Two Different Grammar Types

Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Germany

Reprint requests should be sent to Jörg Bahlmann, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, PO Box 500 355, 04103 Leipzig, Germany, or via e-mail: bahlmann{at}cbs.mpg.de.

The present study investigated the processing of two types of artificial grammars by means of event-related brain potentials. Two categories of meaningless CV syllables were applied in each grammar type. The two grammars differed with regard to the type of the underlying rule. The finite-state grammar (FSG) followed the rule (AB)ⁿ, thereby generating local transitions between As and Bs (e.g., n = 2, ABAB). The phrase structure grammar (PSG) followed the rule AⁿBⁿ, thereby generating center-embedded structures in which the first A and the last B embed the middle elements (e.g., n = 2, [A[AB]B]). Two sequence lengths (n = 2, n = 4) were used. Violations of the structures were introduced at different positions of the syllable sequences. Early violations were situated at the beginning of a sequence, and late violations were placed at the end of a sequence. A posteriorly distributed early negativity elicited by violations was present only in FSG. This effect was interpreted as the possible reflection of a violated local expectancy. Moreover, both grammar-type violations elicited a late positivity. This positivity varied as a function of the violation position in PSG, but not in FSG. These findings suggest that the late positivity could reflect difficulty of integration in PSG sequences.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. L. Mueller, J. Bahlmann, and A. D. Friederici The Role of Pause Cues in Language Learning: The Emergence of Event-related Potentials Related to Sequence Processing. J. Cogn. Neurosci., May 1, 2008; 20(5): 892 - 905. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. C. Corballis On phrase structure and brain responses: a comment on bahlmann, gunter, and friederici (2006). J. Cogn. Neurosci., October 1, 2007; 19(10): 1581 - 1583. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]