Novel Word Learning with Verbal Definitions and Images: An ERP Study
Open Access
- Author:
- Lei, Daisy
- Graduate Program:
- Psychology
- Degree:
- Master of Science
- Document Type:
- Master Thesis
- Date of Defense:
- April 23, 2020
- Committee Members:
- Janet van Hell, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Rick Owen Gilmore, Committee Member
Carrie Neal Jackson, Committee Member
Kristin Ann Buss, Program Head/Chair - Keywords:
- word learning
offline consolidation
semantic integration
event-related potentials (ERPs)
EEG
LPC
N400 - Abstract:
- The impact of images on the consolidation and learning of novel words was examined using event-related potentials (ERPs). ERPs were recorded while native English speakers judged the semantic relatedness of a pair of words after they were trained on one set of novel and existing words with definitions and images on Day 1 and a different set of existing and novel words with definitions and images on Day 2. Trained existing words were used as control and demonstrated an expected N400 semantic priming effect followed by an LPC semantic priming effect on Day 2 and Day 8 of testing. Day 2 ERP results for novel words showed that novel words trained on Day 1 (remote condition) elicited an LPC semantic priming effect, but not for novel words trained on Day 2 (recent condition). By Day 8, ERP results showed that both novel words trained on Day 1 and on Day 2 elicited an LPC semantic priming effect. There was, however, no N400 semantic priming effect on Day 2 or Day 8. The observed LPC semantic priming effect was explained through the complementary learning systems (CLS) theory (e.g., Davis and Gaskell, 2009).