Oliver Müller | Universidad del Rosario (original) (raw)

Papers by Oliver Müller

Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 1999

Clahsen's view on language is intimately linked with the Chomskian distinction between compet... more Clahsen's view on language is intimately linked with the Chomskian distinction between competence and performance. He uses performance to verify theoretical assumptions about the underlying structure of competence. Using mostly off-line tasks, he may fail to answer the question of how language is generated and perceived in natural situations.

instname:Universidad del Rosario, 2019

The aim of this study was to explore the development of pressure during the writing of words, as ... more The aim of this study was to explore the development of pressure during the writing of words, as a fundamental parameter of the written signal, specifically in the handwriting of block letters, in Spanish. Studies using other types of writing and in other languages have observed the phenomenon of PROGRESSIVE MOTION VARIABILITY: pressure for word final letters was higher than for initial letters, which was also true for pressure variability. Forty university students participated and copied a set of 72 words, 36 of which started with one of the graphemes of interest (<a>, <e>, <l>, <r>; e.g., abdomen); the other 36 words ended with one of these graphemes (e.g., diploma). A graphic tablet and electronic ink pen served to record the data. The word final grapheme showed a higher average pressure and pressure variability than the word initial grapheme. We also found differences between graphemes. This means that in Spanish the characteristics of the trace of a letter depend on letter identity but also on its position in the word. This is an important fact to take into account in future studies analyzing this parameter.

The present doctoral thesis investigates the temporal characteristics of the retrieval of semanti... more The present doctoral thesis investigates the temporal characteristics of the retrieval of semantic and syntactic word properties in language comprehension. In particular, an attempt is made to assess the retrieval order of semantic category and grammatical gender information, using the lateralized readiness potential and the inhibition-related N2 effect. Chapter 1 contains a general introduction. Chapter 2 reports an experiment that employs the two-choice go/nogo task in combination with EEG recordings to establish the retrieval order of semantic category and grammatical gender for written words presented in isolation. The results point to a time course where semantic information becomes available before syntactic information. Chapter 3 focuses on the retrieval of grammatical gender. In order to examine whether gender retrieval can be speeded up by context, nouns are presented in gender congruent and gender incongruent prime-target pairs and reaction times for gender decisions are m...

Lenguaje, 2014

En este artículo se discuten los aspectos fundamentales de la teoría lingüística de Noam Chomsky,... more En este artículo se discuten los aspectos fundamentales de la teoría lingüística de Noam Chomsky, una de la más importantes y polémicas formas de explicar la adquisición, comprensión y producción del lenguaje humano. Se realiza un análisis a partir de los textos principales de la teoría desde 1956 hasta la actualidad y se contrastan los postulados primordiales con puntos de vista de distintos autores. Se detallan además los aspectos que se han mantenido invariables y los que se han modificado a lo largo del tiempo. Todo esto con el fin de permitir una comprensión clara de la propuesta actual de Chomsky.

Language, Cognition and Neuroscience, 2016

The present research explores the degree of morphological structure of compound words in the nati... more The present research explores the degree of morphological structure of compound words in the native and nonnative lexicons, and provides additional data on the access to these representations. Native and nonnative speakers (L1 Spanish) of English were tested using a lexical decision task with masked priming of the compound's constituents in isolation, including two orthographic conditions to control for a potential orthographic locus of effects. Both groups displayed reliable priming effects, unmediated by semantics, for the morphological but not the orthographic conditions as compared to an unrelated baseline. Results contribute further evidence of morphological structure in the lexicon of native speakers, and suggest that lexical representation and access in a second language are qualitatively comparable at relatively advanced levels of proficiency.

Revista Latinoamericana De Psicologia, 2014

Avances En Psicologia Latinoamericana, Jun 27, 2013

Este artículo versa sobre los conceptos innatos: su definición, de acuerdo a la obra lingüística ... more Este artículo versa sobre los conceptos innatos: su definición, de acuerdo a la obra lingüística de Noam Chomsky, y el esbozo de un método que permita su estudio. A manera de introducción se refieren algunas concepciones académicas sobre la adquisición conceptual y se comenta la falta de un método de estudio empírico de los conceptos nativos. Enseguida, se presenta la definición que a lo largo del tiempo ha defendido Chomsky sobre dichos conceptos. Finalmente, se instauran de manera teórica las condiciones de un procedimiento empírico para el estudio de los conceptos innatos, titulado análisis semántico de corpus.

Forma Y Funcion, 2013

Este artículo es parte de la investigación Procesamiento léxico en escolares colombianos, realiza... more Este artículo es parte de la investigación Procesamiento léxico en escolares colombianos, realizada por los autores. La temática del trabajo se encuentra dentro de la línea de investigación Procesamiento lingüístico cognitivo en poblaciones normales y especiales, del grupo Cognición y

Revista Latinoamericana de Psicología, 2014

Language acquisition involves a number of complex skills that evolve in correlation with each oth... more Language acquisition involves a number of complex skills that evolve in correlation with each other, thus making it possible for learners of their first spoken language-or sign language-to achieve the best results with minimal effort, as long as they do so within the appropriate period of time. In this regard, it is proposed that early speech perception has a primary role in language acquisition. In order to provide an overview of the current scientific knowledge as to the capabilities of children under the age of one to perceive spoken language, this paper presents the results of the most relevant research on discrimination of classes and types of words, interidiomatic and prosodic discrimination, Documento descargado de http://zl.elsevier.es el 25/11/2014. Copia para uso personal, se prohíbe la transmisión de este documento por cualquier medio o formato.

Revista Colombiana de Psicología, 2014

El estudio de la percepción temprana del habla surgió a comienzos de la década de los setenta, pe... more El estudio de la percepción temprana del habla surgió a comienzos de la década de los setenta, pero solo se desarrolló plenamente diez años después, debido a la aparición y adaptación de nuevos métodos empíricos y herramientas tecnológicas. En este artículo se presenta una revisión de los métodos experimentales que pueden ser utilizados para el estudio de la percepción del habla en niños menores de un año. También se refieren algunas de las conclusiones teóricas más relevantes que se han alcanzado gracias a su aplicación. Se pretende brindar un panorama del estado metodológico y teórico del estudio de la percepción del lenguaje hablado durante el primer año de vida.

Forma y Función, 2013

The aim of this research project was to analyze lexical processing aspects in 180 second to fifth... more The aim of this research project was to analyze lexical processing aspects in 180 second to fifth-grade students (25 per class). Specifically, it analyzed what they do when reading existing words versus nonexistent words (pseudowords), that is, what students do when reading signs with both signifier and signified, and what they do when they only have available phonological and orthographic information regarding a series of letters. It is important to bear in mind that when children start their schooling process, many written words seem to be pseudowords for them. An experiment was carried out with a lexical decision task, and the findings showed that the lexicality effect was present all grades from second to fifth and that the older participants read more rapidly and precisely.

Neuropsychologia, 2012

Interactive activation models of lexical access assume that the presentation of a given word acti... more Interactive activation models of lexical access assume that the presentation of a given word activates not only its lexical representation but also those corresponding to words similar in form. Current theories are based on data from oral and written languages, and therefore signed languages represent a special challenge for existing theories of word recognition and lexical access since they allow us to question what the genuine fundamentals of human language are and what might be modality-specific adaptation. The aim of the present study is to determine the electrophysiological correlates and time course of phonological processing of Spanish Sign Language (LSE). Ten deaf native LSE signers and ten deaf non-native but highly proficient LSE signers participated in the experiment. We used the ERP methodology and form-based priming in the context of a delayed lexical decision task, manipulating phonological overlap (i.e. related prime-target pairs shared either handshape or location parameters). Results showed that both parameters under study modulated brain responses to the stimuli in different time windows. Phonological priming of location resulted in a higher amplitude of the N400 component (300-500 ms window) for signs but not for non-signs. This effect may be explained in terms of initial competition among candidates. Moreover, the fact that a higher amplitude N400 for related pairs was found for signs but not for non-signs points to an effect at the lexical level. Handshape overlap produced a later effect (600-800 ms window). In this window, a more negative-going wave for the related condition than for the unrelated condition was found for non-signs in the native signers group. The findings are discussed in relation to current models of lexical access and word recognition. Finally, differences between native and non-native signers point to a less efficient use of phonological information among the non-native signers.

Lengua y Habla, 2019

The aim of this study was to explore the development of pressure during the writing of words, as ... more The aim of this study was to explore the development of pressure during the writing of words, as a fundamental parameter of the written signal, specifically in the handwriting of block letters, in Spanish. Studies using other types of writing and in other languages have observed the phenomenon of PROGRESSIVE MOTION VARIABILITY: pressure for word final letters was higher than for initial letters, which was also true for pressure variability. Forty university students participated and copied a set of 72 words, 36 of which started with one of the graphemes of interest (, , , ; e.g., abdomen); the other 36 words ended with one of these graphemes (e.g., diploma). A graphic tablet and electronic ink pen served to record the data. The word final grapheme showed a higher average pressure and pressure variability than the word initial grapheme. We also found differences between graphemes. This means that in Spanish the characteristics of the trace of a letter depend on letter identity but also on its position in the word. This is an important fact to take into account in future studies analyzing this parameter.

Language, Cognition and Neuroscience, 2016

The present research explores the degree of morphological structure of compound words in the nati... more The present research explores the degree of morphological structure of compound words in the native and non-native lexicons, and provides additional data on the access to these representations. Native and non-native speakers (L1 Spanish) of English were tested using a lexical decision task with masked priming of the compound’s constituents in isolation, including two orthographic conditions to control for a potential orthographic locus of effects. Both groups displayed reliable priming effects, unmediated by semantics, for the morphological but not the orthographic conditions as compared to an unrelated baseline. Results contribute further evidence of morphological structure in the lexicon of native speakers, and suggest that lexical representation and access in a second language are qualitatively comparable at relatively advanced levels of proficiency.

Psychophysiology, 2010

Words with many orthographic neighbors elicit a larger N400 than words with few orthographic neig... more Words with many orthographic neighbors elicit a larger N400 than words with few orthographic neighbors. This has been interpreted as stronger overall semantic activation due to orthographic neighbors activating their semantic representations. To investigate this claim, we manipulated the number of associates of words (NoA), a variable directly affecting overall semantic activation, and compared this to the ERP effect of the number of orthographic neighbors (N) in a lexical decision task. Words with high NoA and with high N produced a very similar increase of the N400. In addition, a higher N increased the amplitude of the Late Positive Complex. The common N400 effect suggests that N affects semantic activation, like NoA does. The late positive effect specific to N could occur because words with few orthographic neighbors initially elicit little activity in the orthographic system, thereby resembling nonwords, which leads to distinct processing.

Neuropsychologia, Jun 2012

Interactive activation models of lexical access assume that the presentation of a given word acti... more Interactive activation models of lexical access assume that the presentation of a given word activates not only its lexical representation but also those corresponding to words similar in form. Current theories are based on data from oral and written languages, and therefore signed languages represent a special challenge for existing theories of word recognition and lexical access since they allow us to question what the genuine fundamentals of human language are and what might be modality-specific adaptation. The aim of the present study is to determine the electrophysiological correlates and time course of phonological processing of Spanish Sign Language (LSE). Ten deaf native LSE signers and ten deaf non-native but highly proficient LSE signers participated in the experiment. We used the ERP methodology and form-based priming in the context of a delayed lexical decision task, manipulating phonological overlap (i.e. related prime-target pairs shared either handshape or location parameters). Results showed that both parameters under study modulated brain responses to the stimuli in different time windows. Phonological priming of location resulted in a higher amplitude of the N400 component (300-500 ms window) for signs but not for non-signs. This effect may be explained in terms of initial competition among candidates. Moreover, the fact that a higher amplitude N400 for related pairs was found for signs but not for non-signs points to an effect at the lexical level. Handshape overlap produced a later effect (600-800 ms window). In this window, a more negative-going wave for the related condition than for the unrelated condition was found for non-signs in the native signers group. The findings are discussed in relation to current models of lexical access and word recognition. Finally, differences between native and non-native signers point to a less efficient use of phonological information among the non-native signers.

Journal of cognitive neuroscience, 2006

The recognition of a word makes available its semantic and syntactic properties. Using electrophy... more The recognition of a word makes available its semantic and syntactic properties. Using electrophysiological recordings, we investigated whether one set of these properties is available earlier than the other set. Dutch participants saw nouns on a computer screen and performed push-button responses: In one task, grammatical gender determined response hand (left/right) and semantic category determined response execution (go/no-go). In the other task, response hand depended on semantic category, whereas response execution depended on gender. During the latter task, response preparation occurred on no-go trials, as measured by the lateralized readiness potential: Semantic information was used for response preparation before gender information inhibited this process. Furthermore, an inhibition-related N2 effect occurred earlier for inhibition by semantics than for inhibition by gender. In summary, electrophysiological measures of both response preparation and inhibition indicated that the semantic word property was available earlier than the syntactic word property when participants read single words.

En esta investigación se analizaron aspectos del procesamiento léxico de 180 escolares entre segu... more En esta investigación se analizaron aspectos del procesamiento léxico de 180 escolares entre segundo y quinto grado de primaria (25 por curso). Específicamente, se analizó qué hacen cuando leen palabras existentes frente a palabras no existentes (pseudopalabras). Es decir, qué hacen cuando leen signos con significado y significante y qué hacen cuando solo tienen disponible la información fonológica y ortográfica de una serie de letras. Hay que recordar que, al inicio de la escolaridad, muchas de las palabras escritas son para los escolares pseudopalabras. Se llevó a cabo un experimento con la tarea de decisión léxica, y los resultados mostraron que el efecto de lexicalidad se presentó en todos los cursos de segundo a quinto de primaria y que la lectura de los participantes de mayor edad fue más rápida y precisa.

El estudio de la percepción temprana del habla surgió a comienzos de la década de los setenta, pe... more El estudio de la percepción temprana del habla surgió a comienzos de la década de los setenta, pero solo se desarrolló plenamente diez años después, debido a la aparición y adaptación de nuevos métodos empíricos y herramientas tecnológicas. En este artículo se presenta una revisión de los métodos experimentales que pueden ser utilizados para el estudio de la percepción del habla en niños menores de un año. También se refieren algunas de las conclusiones teóricas más relevantes que se han alcanzado gracias a su aplicación. Se pretende brindar un panorama del estado metodológico y teórico del estudio de la percepción del lenguaje hablado durante el primer año de vida.

Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 1999

Clahsen's view on language is intimately linked with the Chomskian distinction between compet... more Clahsen's view on language is intimately linked with the Chomskian distinction between competence and performance. He uses performance to verify theoretical assumptions about the underlying structure of competence. Using mostly off-line tasks, he may fail to answer the question of how language is generated and perceived in natural situations.

instname:Universidad del Rosario, 2019

The aim of this study was to explore the development of pressure during the writing of words, as ... more The aim of this study was to explore the development of pressure during the writing of words, as a fundamental parameter of the written signal, specifically in the handwriting of block letters, in Spanish. Studies using other types of writing and in other languages have observed the phenomenon of PROGRESSIVE MOTION VARIABILITY: pressure for word final letters was higher than for initial letters, which was also true for pressure variability. Forty university students participated and copied a set of 72 words, 36 of which started with one of the graphemes of interest (<a>, <e>, <l>, <r>; e.g., abdomen); the other 36 words ended with one of these graphemes (e.g., diploma). A graphic tablet and electronic ink pen served to record the data. The word final grapheme showed a higher average pressure and pressure variability than the word initial grapheme. We also found differences between graphemes. This means that in Spanish the characteristics of the trace of a letter depend on letter identity but also on its position in the word. This is an important fact to take into account in future studies analyzing this parameter.

The present doctoral thesis investigates the temporal characteristics of the retrieval of semanti... more The present doctoral thesis investigates the temporal characteristics of the retrieval of semantic and syntactic word properties in language comprehension. In particular, an attempt is made to assess the retrieval order of semantic category and grammatical gender information, using the lateralized readiness potential and the inhibition-related N2 effect. Chapter 1 contains a general introduction. Chapter 2 reports an experiment that employs the two-choice go/nogo task in combination with EEG recordings to establish the retrieval order of semantic category and grammatical gender for written words presented in isolation. The results point to a time course where semantic information becomes available before syntactic information. Chapter 3 focuses on the retrieval of grammatical gender. In order to examine whether gender retrieval can be speeded up by context, nouns are presented in gender congruent and gender incongruent prime-target pairs and reaction times for gender decisions are m...

Lenguaje, 2014

En este artículo se discuten los aspectos fundamentales de la teoría lingüística de Noam Chomsky,... more En este artículo se discuten los aspectos fundamentales de la teoría lingüística de Noam Chomsky, una de la más importantes y polémicas formas de explicar la adquisición, comprensión y producción del lenguaje humano. Se realiza un análisis a partir de los textos principales de la teoría desde 1956 hasta la actualidad y se contrastan los postulados primordiales con puntos de vista de distintos autores. Se detallan además los aspectos que se han mantenido invariables y los que se han modificado a lo largo del tiempo. Todo esto con el fin de permitir una comprensión clara de la propuesta actual de Chomsky.

Language, Cognition and Neuroscience, 2016

The present research explores the degree of morphological structure of compound words in the nati... more The present research explores the degree of morphological structure of compound words in the native and nonnative lexicons, and provides additional data on the access to these representations. Native and nonnative speakers (L1 Spanish) of English were tested using a lexical decision task with masked priming of the compound's constituents in isolation, including two orthographic conditions to control for a potential orthographic locus of effects. Both groups displayed reliable priming effects, unmediated by semantics, for the morphological but not the orthographic conditions as compared to an unrelated baseline. Results contribute further evidence of morphological structure in the lexicon of native speakers, and suggest that lexical representation and access in a second language are qualitatively comparable at relatively advanced levels of proficiency.

Revista Latinoamericana De Psicologia, 2014

Avances En Psicologia Latinoamericana, Jun 27, 2013

Este artículo versa sobre los conceptos innatos: su definición, de acuerdo a la obra lingüística ... more Este artículo versa sobre los conceptos innatos: su definición, de acuerdo a la obra lingüística de Noam Chomsky, y el esbozo de un método que permita su estudio. A manera de introducción se refieren algunas concepciones académicas sobre la adquisición conceptual y se comenta la falta de un método de estudio empírico de los conceptos nativos. Enseguida, se presenta la definición que a lo largo del tiempo ha defendido Chomsky sobre dichos conceptos. Finalmente, se instauran de manera teórica las condiciones de un procedimiento empírico para el estudio de los conceptos innatos, titulado análisis semántico de corpus.

Forma Y Funcion, 2013

Este artículo es parte de la investigación Procesamiento léxico en escolares colombianos, realiza... more Este artículo es parte de la investigación Procesamiento léxico en escolares colombianos, realizada por los autores. La temática del trabajo se encuentra dentro de la línea de investigación Procesamiento lingüístico cognitivo en poblaciones normales y especiales, del grupo Cognición y

Revista Latinoamericana de Psicología, 2014

Language acquisition involves a number of complex skills that evolve in correlation with each oth... more Language acquisition involves a number of complex skills that evolve in correlation with each other, thus making it possible for learners of their first spoken language-or sign language-to achieve the best results with minimal effort, as long as they do so within the appropriate period of time. In this regard, it is proposed that early speech perception has a primary role in language acquisition. In order to provide an overview of the current scientific knowledge as to the capabilities of children under the age of one to perceive spoken language, this paper presents the results of the most relevant research on discrimination of classes and types of words, interidiomatic and prosodic discrimination, Documento descargado de http://zl.elsevier.es el 25/11/2014. Copia para uso personal, se prohíbe la transmisión de este documento por cualquier medio o formato.

Revista Colombiana de Psicología, 2014

El estudio de la percepción temprana del habla surgió a comienzos de la década de los setenta, pe... more El estudio de la percepción temprana del habla surgió a comienzos de la década de los setenta, pero solo se desarrolló plenamente diez años después, debido a la aparición y adaptación de nuevos métodos empíricos y herramientas tecnológicas. En este artículo se presenta una revisión de los métodos experimentales que pueden ser utilizados para el estudio de la percepción del habla en niños menores de un año. También se refieren algunas de las conclusiones teóricas más relevantes que se han alcanzado gracias a su aplicación. Se pretende brindar un panorama del estado metodológico y teórico del estudio de la percepción del lenguaje hablado durante el primer año de vida.

Forma y Función, 2013

The aim of this research project was to analyze lexical processing aspects in 180 second to fifth... more The aim of this research project was to analyze lexical processing aspects in 180 second to fifth-grade students (25 per class). Specifically, it analyzed what they do when reading existing words versus nonexistent words (pseudowords), that is, what students do when reading signs with both signifier and signified, and what they do when they only have available phonological and orthographic information regarding a series of letters. It is important to bear in mind that when children start their schooling process, many written words seem to be pseudowords for them. An experiment was carried out with a lexical decision task, and the findings showed that the lexicality effect was present all grades from second to fifth and that the older participants read more rapidly and precisely.

Neuropsychologia, 2012

Interactive activation models of lexical access assume that the presentation of a given word acti... more Interactive activation models of lexical access assume that the presentation of a given word activates not only its lexical representation but also those corresponding to words similar in form. Current theories are based on data from oral and written languages, and therefore signed languages represent a special challenge for existing theories of word recognition and lexical access since they allow us to question what the genuine fundamentals of human language are and what might be modality-specific adaptation. The aim of the present study is to determine the electrophysiological correlates and time course of phonological processing of Spanish Sign Language (LSE). Ten deaf native LSE signers and ten deaf non-native but highly proficient LSE signers participated in the experiment. We used the ERP methodology and form-based priming in the context of a delayed lexical decision task, manipulating phonological overlap (i.e. related prime-target pairs shared either handshape or location parameters). Results showed that both parameters under study modulated brain responses to the stimuli in different time windows. Phonological priming of location resulted in a higher amplitude of the N400 component (300-500 ms window) for signs but not for non-signs. This effect may be explained in terms of initial competition among candidates. Moreover, the fact that a higher amplitude N400 for related pairs was found for signs but not for non-signs points to an effect at the lexical level. Handshape overlap produced a later effect (600-800 ms window). In this window, a more negative-going wave for the related condition than for the unrelated condition was found for non-signs in the native signers group. The findings are discussed in relation to current models of lexical access and word recognition. Finally, differences between native and non-native signers point to a less efficient use of phonological information among the non-native signers.

Lengua y Habla, 2019

The aim of this study was to explore the development of pressure during the writing of words, as ... more The aim of this study was to explore the development of pressure during the writing of words, as a fundamental parameter of the written signal, specifically in the handwriting of block letters, in Spanish. Studies using other types of writing and in other languages have observed the phenomenon of PROGRESSIVE MOTION VARIABILITY: pressure for word final letters was higher than for initial letters, which was also true for pressure variability. Forty university students participated and copied a set of 72 words, 36 of which started with one of the graphemes of interest (, , , ; e.g., abdomen); the other 36 words ended with one of these graphemes (e.g., diploma). A graphic tablet and electronic ink pen served to record the data. The word final grapheme showed a higher average pressure and pressure variability than the word initial grapheme. We also found differences between graphemes. This means that in Spanish the characteristics of the trace of a letter depend on letter identity but also on its position in the word. This is an important fact to take into account in future studies analyzing this parameter.

Language, Cognition and Neuroscience, 2016

The present research explores the degree of morphological structure of compound words in the nati... more The present research explores the degree of morphological structure of compound words in the native and non-native lexicons, and provides additional data on the access to these representations. Native and non-native speakers (L1 Spanish) of English were tested using a lexical decision task with masked priming of the compound’s constituents in isolation, including two orthographic conditions to control for a potential orthographic locus of effects. Both groups displayed reliable priming effects, unmediated by semantics, for the morphological but not the orthographic conditions as compared to an unrelated baseline. Results contribute further evidence of morphological structure in the lexicon of native speakers, and suggest that lexical representation and access in a second language are qualitatively comparable at relatively advanced levels of proficiency.

Psychophysiology, 2010

Words with many orthographic neighbors elicit a larger N400 than words with few orthographic neig... more Words with many orthographic neighbors elicit a larger N400 than words with few orthographic neighbors. This has been interpreted as stronger overall semantic activation due to orthographic neighbors activating their semantic representations. To investigate this claim, we manipulated the number of associates of words (NoA), a variable directly affecting overall semantic activation, and compared this to the ERP effect of the number of orthographic neighbors (N) in a lexical decision task. Words with high NoA and with high N produced a very similar increase of the N400. In addition, a higher N increased the amplitude of the Late Positive Complex. The common N400 effect suggests that N affects semantic activation, like NoA does. The late positive effect specific to N could occur because words with few orthographic neighbors initially elicit little activity in the orthographic system, thereby resembling nonwords, which leads to distinct processing.

Neuropsychologia, Jun 2012

Interactive activation models of lexical access assume that the presentation of a given word acti... more Interactive activation models of lexical access assume that the presentation of a given word activates not only its lexical representation but also those corresponding to words similar in form. Current theories are based on data from oral and written languages, and therefore signed languages represent a special challenge for existing theories of word recognition and lexical access since they allow us to question what the genuine fundamentals of human language are and what might be modality-specific adaptation. The aim of the present study is to determine the electrophysiological correlates and time course of phonological processing of Spanish Sign Language (LSE). Ten deaf native LSE signers and ten deaf non-native but highly proficient LSE signers participated in the experiment. We used the ERP methodology and form-based priming in the context of a delayed lexical decision task, manipulating phonological overlap (i.e. related prime-target pairs shared either handshape or location parameters). Results showed that both parameters under study modulated brain responses to the stimuli in different time windows. Phonological priming of location resulted in a higher amplitude of the N400 component (300-500 ms window) for signs but not for non-signs. This effect may be explained in terms of initial competition among candidates. Moreover, the fact that a higher amplitude N400 for related pairs was found for signs but not for non-signs points to an effect at the lexical level. Handshape overlap produced a later effect (600-800 ms window). In this window, a more negative-going wave for the related condition than for the unrelated condition was found for non-signs in the native signers group. The findings are discussed in relation to current models of lexical access and word recognition. Finally, differences between native and non-native signers point to a less efficient use of phonological information among the non-native signers.

Journal of cognitive neuroscience, 2006

The recognition of a word makes available its semantic and syntactic properties. Using electrophy... more The recognition of a word makes available its semantic and syntactic properties. Using electrophysiological recordings, we investigated whether one set of these properties is available earlier than the other set. Dutch participants saw nouns on a computer screen and performed push-button responses: In one task, grammatical gender determined response hand (left/right) and semantic category determined response execution (go/no-go). In the other task, response hand depended on semantic category, whereas response execution depended on gender. During the latter task, response preparation occurred on no-go trials, as measured by the lateralized readiness potential: Semantic information was used for response preparation before gender information inhibited this process. Furthermore, an inhibition-related N2 effect occurred earlier for inhibition by semantics than for inhibition by gender. In summary, electrophysiological measures of both response preparation and inhibition indicated that the semantic word property was available earlier than the syntactic word property when participants read single words.

En esta investigación se analizaron aspectos del procesamiento léxico de 180 escolares entre segu... more En esta investigación se analizaron aspectos del procesamiento léxico de 180 escolares entre segundo y quinto grado de primaria (25 por curso). Específicamente, se analizó qué hacen cuando leen palabras existentes frente a palabras no existentes (pseudopalabras). Es decir, qué hacen cuando leen signos con significado y significante y qué hacen cuando solo tienen disponible la información fonológica y ortográfica de una serie de letras. Hay que recordar que, al inicio de la escolaridad, muchas de las palabras escritas son para los escolares pseudopalabras. Se llevó a cabo un experimento con la tarea de decisión léxica, y los resultados mostraron que el efecto de lexicalidad se presentó en todos los cursos de segundo a quinto de primaria y que la lectura de los participantes de mayor edad fue más rápida y precisa.

El estudio de la percepción temprana del habla surgió a comienzos de la década de los setenta, pe... more El estudio de la percepción temprana del habla surgió a comienzos de la década de los setenta, pero solo se desarrolló plenamente diez años después, debido a la aparición y adaptación de nuevos métodos empíricos y herramientas tecnológicas. En este artículo se presenta una revisión de los métodos experimentales que pueden ser utilizados para el estudio de la percepción del habla en niños menores de un año. También se refieren algunas de las conclusiones teóricas más relevantes que se han alcanzado gracias a su aplicación. Se pretende brindar un panorama del estado metodológico y teórico del estudio de la percepción del lenguaje hablado durante el primer año de vida.