PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Phillip M. Alday
AU  - Matthias Schlesewsky
AU  - Ina Bornkessel-Schlesewsky
TI  - Electrophysiology Reveals the Neural Dynamics of Naturalistic Auditory Language Processing: Event-Related Potentials Reflect Continuous Model Updates
AID  - 10.1523/ENEURO.0311-16.2017
DP  - 2017 Nov 01
TA  - eneuro
PG  - ENEURO.0311-16.2017
VI  - 4
IP  - 6
4099  - http://www.eneuro.org/content/4/6/ENEURO.0311-16.2017.short
4100  - http://www.eneuro.org/content/4/6/ENEURO.0311-16.2017.full
SO  - eNeuro2017 Nov 01; 4
AB  - The recent trend away from ANOVA-based analyses places experimental investigations into the neurobiology of cognition in more naturalistic and ecologically valid designs within reach. Using mixed-effects models for epoch-based regression, we demonstrate the feasibility of examining event-related potentials (ERPs), and in particular the N400, to study the neural dynamics of human auditory language processing in a naturalistic setting. Despite the large variability between trials during naturalistic stimulation, we replicated previous findings from the literature: the effects of frequency, animacy, and word order and find previously unexplored interaction effects. This suggests a new perspective on ERPs, namely, as a continuous modulation reflecting continuous stimulation instead of a series of discrete and essentially sequential processes locked to discrete events.