The role of the P300 component in a translation-recognition task

This study focuses in language processing and memory representation in a sa mple of bilingual subjects using a translate-recognition task. The revised model of Kroll and Stewart (1994) and Chapman's model (1981) about the rela tionships of the component P300 and short term memory were used as theoreti cal framework. Results seems to show significant effects of word frequency and kind of task on reaction times and P300 amplitude as well as some inter action effects with subject's linguistic dominance. The main conclusions ar e that the results of Spanish dominant subjects seem to fit with the asymme try proposed by Kroll & Stewart model. Moreover ERP data seems to show the relevance of the P300-P600 complex during the stimulus identification proce ss in the short-term memory. From this viewpoint both components maybe view ed as measures of the stimulus relevance and the concordance between the st imulus and its representation at the short-term memory.