Day 120 of 120 Language Difficulty 7/10
Sentence comprehension unfolds in three timed ERP phases
Quick answer
Sentence comprehension unfolds in three timed ERP phases. Today's question (Auditory sentence-processing stages) asks about a finding from Friederici, A. D. in 2002. The correct option is Lexical-semantic and morphosyntactic processing reflected in the N400 and LAN (~300–500 ms) — full explanation, primary source, and glossary cross-links below.
Today's question
Friederici (2002) proposed a three-phase model of auditory sentence processing whose middle phase is characterized by:
Reveal the answer and explanation
Correct: B — Lexical-semantic and morphosyntactic processing reflected in the N400 and LAN (~300–500 ms)
Friederici (2002) reviewed ERP evidence to propose three temporally ordered phases of auditory sentence processing: an early phase (~150–200 ms post word onset) of initial phrase-structure assembly indexed by the early left anterior negativity (ELAN); a middle phase (~300–500 ms) of lexical-semantic access (N400) and morphosyntactic processing (LAN); and a late phase (~600 ms) of reanalysis and integration indexed by the P600. The framework remains a standard scaffold for organizing ERP findings on language comprehension and aligns with imaging evidence for multiple, partially parallel left perisylvian streams.
About the source
Friederici, A. D. (2002). Towards a neural basis of auditory sentence processing. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 6(2), 78–84.
Every Cognition Bible question cites a primary source — a paper, book chapter, or monograph that exists, that we can point to on Google Scholar, and whose finding the question accurately summarizes. No fabricated authority strings, no name-drops without paper-level grounding.
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