The effect of object familiarity on EEG signal in auditory and visual semantic processing

Poster Session A - Saturday, March 29, 2025, 3:00 – 5:00 pm EDT, Back Bay Ballroom/Republic Ballroom

Emma Karn¹ (ekarn@fordham.edu), Elissa Aminoff¹, Joseph Toscano²; ¹Fordham University, ²Villanova University

Previous literature using the event-related potential (ERP) technique has revealed a distinct time course of neural activity associated with processing semantic categories. However, there has been limited research on the effects of familiarity on the neural dynamics of semantic processing. To address this, we record electroencephalographic (EEG) data from the scalp during the performance of a cross-modal semantic categorization task. We ask whether pre-experimental familiarity with the stimuli affects EEG signal amplitude associated with semantic processing across visual and auditory modalities. We use a 2 (stimulus category: animal vs. tool) x 2 (modality: spoken word vs. visual picture) repeated-measures design. Participants’ task was to press a button indicating whether the stimulus corresponded to an animal or a tool. EEG data were recorded and time-locked to stimulus presentation. After completing these trials, participants completed a questionnaire to assess their familiarity with the objects they encountered. Data was binned into frequent and infrequent conditions based on each individual’s responses. We analyzed data from nine standard electrodes across the scalp. We observed a difference in average ERP amplitude between frequent and infrequent conditions in animal-audio trials. Higher familiarity generated a stronger negative response in the 300-500 ms time window. This experiment demonstrated unique familiarity effects–our data is distinct from prototypical N400, where more novel stimuli elicit a more negative response. Overall, we propose that the neural time course associated with semantic understanding is influenced by previous familiarity.

Topic Area: PERCEPTION & ACTION: Multisensory