EVENT-RELATED POTENTIALS AND LANGUAGE PRO CESSING

The contribution of cognitive event-related potentials (ERPs) and part icularly of tile N400 component to the study of language processing is considered. After a general presentation of the the various component s of cognitive evoked potentials which are differentiated from early p otentials (sensitive to perceptive parameters), the neurophysiological nod psychological correlates of ERPs are discussed. Before the presen tation of the main studies concerned with the correlation between spec ific late components and linguistic processes, iris proposed an introd uction to some theoretical models of language processing which serve a s conceptual framework supporting most of the experimental approaches in this field. The results of EPs studies devoted to functional asymet ries in language processing are briefly mentioned. Then a number of st udies are analysed, these demonstrate the sensitivity of event-related potential measures to linguistic manipulations. Finally, the studies concerned with the N400 are reviewed, this potential appears to be the more specifically language-related ERP component, even if its connect ion with specific linguistic processes or its differentiation from N20 0 are still under debate. Nevertheless language-related electrophysiol ogical investigations may become in the near future a useful complemen tary approach to our understanding of language processing and language disorders.