Processing emotional words and nonwords: an evaluative conditioning ERP study
1 : Ruhr-Universität Bochum
2 : The Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion', Free University Berlin
3 : Ruhr-Universität Bochum
Ruhr-Universität Bochum
Numerous studies have shown that word recognition differs depending on the
emotional connotation of a particular word. Emotional connotation, i.e. differences in
emotional valence and arousal, have been shown to affect response times and
accuracy measures in the lexical decision task and to modulate very early (80-
120ms; e.g., Hofmann et al., 2009) and later components of the event-related
potentials (ERP). It is widely accepted that words receive their emotional connotation
through the learning of emotional-semantic associations, but direct evidence for this
proposal is lacking. To address this question we conducted an evaluative
conditioning study using meaningless pseudowords. Participants learned
associations between randomly selected 50 pseudowords and 150 affective pictures
and between another 50 pseudowords and 150 neutral pictures on five consecutive
days. Each pseudoword was associated with more than one picture and with different
pictures (of the same connotation) each day to guaranty that only the emotional
connotation and not a particular association to one picture was learned. This was
tested in both, a subsequent ERP lexical decision study and in an explicit valence
judgements task. The results reveal effects of learned negative connotations in
pseudowords in early and late ERP components, replicating the effects known from
word processing. These findings support the assumption of learned associations as
the basis of a words' emotional connotation. Still, the nature of the very early effects
that are most probably related to modulated attention to emotional (pseudo)words is
in need of further clarification.
emotional connotation of a particular word. Emotional connotation, i.e. differences in
emotional valence and arousal, have been shown to affect response times and
accuracy measures in the lexical decision task and to modulate very early (80-
120ms; e.g., Hofmann et al., 2009) and later components of the event-related
potentials (ERP). It is widely accepted that words receive their emotional connotation
through the learning of emotional-semantic associations, but direct evidence for this
proposal is lacking. To address this question we conducted an evaluative
conditioning study using meaningless pseudowords. Participants learned
associations between randomly selected 50 pseudowords and 150 affective pictures
and between another 50 pseudowords and 150 neutral pictures on five consecutive
days. Each pseudoword was associated with more than one picture and with different
pictures (of the same connotation) each day to guaranty that only the emotional
connotation and not a particular association to one picture was learned. This was
tested in both, a subsequent ERP lexical decision study and in an explicit valence
judgements task. The results reveal effects of learned negative connotations in
pseudowords in early and late ERP components, replicating the effects known from
word processing. These findings support the assumption of learned associations as
the basis of a words' emotional connotation. Still, the nature of the very early effects
that are most probably related to modulated attention to emotional (pseudo)words is
in need of further clarification.
| Subject : | : | Symposium |
| Topics | : | SY: Emotion word processing |
| PDF version | : |  PDF version |
