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Valence of auditory words enhances subsequent recognition and facilitates processing of written words: ERP and behavioral evidence.
  • Yen-Lin PAN,
  • Deirdre Bolger,
  • Cheryl Frenck-Mestre
Yen-Lin PAN
Aix-Marseille Université

Corresponding Author:yen-lin.pan@univ-amu.fr

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Deirdre Bolger
Aix-Marseille Université
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Cheryl Frenck-Mestre
Aix-Marseille Université
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Abstract

The present study combined behavioral measures and EEG to investigate the impact of emotional valence on both auditory and written word processing. Participants were first presented with a series of auditory words with varying emotional valence (positive, neutral and negative) produced in neutral tone, which they rated according to valence level. Subsequently they performed a surprise recognition task with written stimuli (half being foils). Our results revealed a significant valence/arousal effect on word recognition; written words with high-arousal and either positive or negative valence were recognized with higher accuracy compared to low-arousal neutral ones. EEG analyses revealed an effect of valence only for words presented in written format; no effects were found for auditory words. For written words, both positive and negative valence elicited a larger P2 response in comparison to neutral valence, indicating allocation of attentional resources. Critically, a reduced N400 was observed only for negative words, suggesting facilitated processing of unpleasant information perhaps due to better encoding during the auditory presentation. Overall, our study provides valuable insights into the cognitive mechanisms involved in integrating emotional information presented in distinct modalities, shedding light on the influence of valence on word recognition.
18 Sep 2023Submitted to Psychophysiology
22 Sep 2023Submission Checks Completed
22 Sep 2023Assigned to Editor
22 Sep 2023Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
15 Oct 2023Reviewer(s) Assigned