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Linguistic event-related potentials as predictors of implicit and explicit memory

Poster Session E - Monday, March 9, 2026, 2:30 – 4:30 pm PDT, Fairview/Kitsilano Ballroom

Sophie Jano¹ (), Isabell Wartenburger², Birgit Elsner¹, Milena Rabovsky¹; ¹Department of Psychology, University of Potsdam, ²Department of Linguistics, Cognitive Sciences, University of Potsdam

Two event-related potentials (ERPs), the N400 and P600, have received significant attention in the neurolinguistic literature due to their ties to semantic and syntactic processing, respectively. However, recent evidence suggests that these ERPs may also relate to learning more generally, with the N400 associated with implicit memory and the P600 linked to explicit memory. Importantly, these relations have not yet been tested in a combined study, despite the need for clearer delineation of the effects. The current experiment aims to replicate and delve deeper into the N400’s connection to implicit memory, and the P600’s association with explicit memory, using a combined paradigm. Participants (N = 40) are first exposed to sentences containing either a semantically expected or unexpected target noun whilst their electroencephalogram (EEG) is recorded. Next, implicit memory for the target nouns is measured via a perceptual identification task, and explicit memory is tested with an old/new recognition task. ERP amplitudes to target nouns during sentence reading will be related to subsequent memory for the nouns on a trial-by-trial basis using linear mixed-effects models. Data collection is still underway, but we expect to replicate the associations between the N400 and implicit memory, and the P600 and explicit memory. This research will shed light on how these language-related ERPs drive memory encoding in the moment, highlighting their functional significance as broader learning signals.

Topic Area: LANGUAGE: Other