Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Attention Modulates Electrophysiological Responses to Simultaneous Music and Language Syntax Processing

Version 1 : Received: 11 June 2019 / Approved: 13 June 2019 / Online: 13 June 2019 (13:13:57 CEST)

How to cite: Lee, D.J.; Jung, H.; Loui, P. Attention Modulates Electrophysiological Responses to Simultaneous Music and Language Syntax Processing. Preprints 2019, 2019060122. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints201906.0122.v1 Lee, D.J.; Jung, H.; Loui, P. Attention Modulates Electrophysiological Responses to Simultaneous Music and Language Syntax Processing. Preprints 2019, 2019060122. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints201906.0122.v1

Abstract

Music and language are hypothesized to share neural resources, particularly at the level of syntax processing. Recent reports suggest that attention modulates this sharing of neural resources, but the time-course of the effects of attention, and the degree to which attention operates similarly on music and language, are yet unclear. In this EEG study we manipulate the syntactic structure of simultaneously presented musical chord progressions and garden-path sentences in a modified rapid serial visual presentation paradigm, while varying top-down attentional demands to the two modalities. The Early Right Anterior Negativity (ERAN) was observed in response to both attended and unattended musical syntax violations. In contrast, an N400 was only observed in response to attended linguistic syntax violations, and a P3 only in response to attended musical syntax violations. Results show that top-down allocation of attention indeed affects the processing of syntax in both music and language, with different neural resources acting upon the two modalities particularly at later stages of cognitive processing. However, the processing of musical syntax at an earlier stage of the perceptual-cognitive pathway, as indexed by the ERAN, is partially automatic, and is strongly indicative of separate neural resources for music and language.

Keywords

music; language; syntax; attention; comprehension; electroencephalography; event-related potentials

Subject

Social Sciences, Cognitive Science

Comments (0)

We encourage comments and feedback from a broad range of readers. See criteria for comments and our Diversity statement.

Leave a public comment
Send a private comment to the author(s)
* All users must log in before leaving a comment
Views 0
Downloads 0
Comments 0
Metrics 0


×
Alerts
Notify me about updates to this article or when a peer-reviewed version is published.
We use cookies on our website to ensure you get the best experience.
Read more about our cookies here.