INSERM, Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, , Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2014 Mar 17;369(1641):20130212. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2013.0212. Print 2014 May 5.
What are the limits of unconscious language processing? Can language circuits process simple grammatical constructions unconsciously and integrate the meaning of several unseen words? Using behavioural priming and electroencephalography (EEG), we studied a specific rule-based linguistic operation traditionally thought to require conscious cognitive control: the negation of valence. In a masked priming paradigm, two masked words were successively (Experiment 1) or simultaneously presented (Experiment 2), a modifier ('not'/'very') and an adjective (e.g. 'good'/'bad'), followed by a visible target noun (e.g. 'peace'/'murder'). Subjects indicated whether the target noun had a positive or negative valence. The combination of these three words could either be contextually consistent (e.g. 'very bad - murder') or inconsistent (e.g. 'not bad - murder'). EEG recordings revealed that grammatical negations could unfold partly unconsciously, as reflected in similar occipito-parietal N400 effects for conscious and unconscious three-word sequences forming inconsistent combinations. However, only conscious word sequences elicited P600 effects, later in time. Overall, these results suggest that multiple unconscious words can be rapidly integrated and that an unconscious negation can automatically 'flip the sign' of an unconscious adjective. These findings not only extend the limits of subliminal combinatorial language processes, but also highlight how consciousness modulates the grammatical integration of multiple words.
无意识语言处理的极限是什么？语言回路能否无意识地处理简单的语法结构，并整合几个未见过的单词的意思？我们使用行为启动和脑电图（EEG）研究了一种传统上被认为需要有意识的认知控制的特定基于规则的语言操作：否定。在掩蔽启动范式中，两个掩蔽词连续（实验 1）或同时呈现（实验 2），一个修饰语（如“不”/“非常”）和一个形容词（如“好”/“坏”），后面跟着一个可见的目标名词（如“和平”/“谋杀”）。受试者指出目标名词是具有积极还是消极的含义。这三个词的组合可以是上下文一致的（例如“非常坏 - 谋杀”），也可以是不一致的（例如“不那么坏 - 谋杀”）。脑电图记录显示，语法否定可以部分无意识地展开，这反映在形成不一致组合的有意识和无意识的三个词序列中，出现相似的枕顶 N400 效应。然而，只有有意识的词序列才能引发 P600 效应，时间稍晚。总的来说，这些结果表明，多个无意识单词可以快速整合，无意识否定可以自动“翻转”无意识形容词的“符号”。这些发现不仅扩展了潜意识组合语言过程的极限，还强调了意识如何调节多个单词的语法整合。
