Abstract
Studies of event-related potential (ERP) in the human brain have shown that the N170 component can reliably distinguish among different object categories. However, it is unclear whether this is true for different identifiable levels within a single category. In the present study, we used ERP recording to examine the neural response to different identification levels and orientations (upright vs. inverted) of Chinese characters. The results showed that P1, N170, and P250 were modulated by different identification levels of Chinese characters. Moreover, time frequency analysis showed similar results, indicating that identification levels were associated with object recognition, particularly during processing of a single categorical stimulus.
Highlights
We are exposed to words, just as we are exposed to faces, beginning in very early childhood
We found that P1, N170, P250, and alpha-band oscillations induced by different identification levels of Chinese characters responded differently
We used the event-related potential (ERP) technique to investigate the correlations between electrophysiological measurements and different identification levels/orientations of ancient Chinese characters
Summary
We are exposed to words, just as we are exposed to faces, beginning in very early childhood. The effects of faces and words on our brain development and physiology are similar. Alphabetbased languages, such as English, do not include configural information, and we recognize the serial order of a restricted set of letters in different lengths[1]. Chinese characters are similar to faces in what Chinese characters consist of radicals, similar to the eyes and nose of a face. The meanings of Chinese characters (similar to that of different facial expressions) are understood through the long-term accumulation of experience. Chinese characters share many properties with faces and are suitable for exploring visual word processing
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