Novel concepts mediate word retrieval from human episodic associative memory: evidence from event-related potentials.

Full Abstract

Effects of conceptual fusion on episodic associative retrieval were examined. Subjects attempted to fuse sequentially displayed (800 ms offset) word pairs; pairs subjects were unable to fuse were instead considered associated by juxtaposition. Next, dense-array event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while the pairs were redisplayed, half reversed in order. Subjects pressed a button to indicate whether each pair was presented in the previous order. Behavioral results showed that retrieval of fused pairs was faster and more accurate than for juxtaposed pairs. ERP topography to the first word of fused pairs was different from juxtaposed pairs, indicating that fusion can mediate associative retrieval of constituent items. Estimates of current source density at the cortical surface showed that fusion-mediated retrieval elicited left inferior-prefrontal/anterior-temporal activity not typically observed in episodic memory retrieval studies.

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Author information

Author/s: Kounios, John (J); Bachman, Peter (P); Casasanto, Daniel (D); Grossman, Murray (M); Smith, Roderick W (RW); Yang, Wei (W);

Affiliation: Institute for Research in Cognitive Science, University of Pennsylvania, 3401 Walnut Street, Suite 400A, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6228, USA. jkounios(-atsign-)psych.upenn.edu

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Comparative Study; Journal Article; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Journal: Neuroscience letters (Neurosci Lett), published in Ireland. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2003-Jul; vol 345 (issue 3) : pp 157-60

Dates: Created 2003/07/04; Completed 2003/09/12; Revised 2006/11/15;

PMID: 12842280, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adolescent
Adult
Analysis of Variance
Brain - physiology
Brain Mapping
Concept Formation - physiology
Electroencephalography

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