Auditory evoked potentials for words with high positive and high negative connotative values

This study was conducted to determine whether word connotations (or the "meaningfulness" of words) can be discriminated with Auditory Evoked Potentials (AEPS). The Semantic Differential Scale was used to obtain a list of 10 one-syllable words with high positive valences (1.e., "peace," "bride"), and 10 one-syllable words with high negative valences (i.e., "rape," "beat"). Fifteen female graduate students listened to 80 stimulus words, and they pushed one button if the word was "positive" and another if the word was "negative."

Principal components analysis (PCA) and visual inspection techniques were used to analyze the waveforms. Results of the PCA suggested that subjects distinguished word connotations at a time point of 1250 ms (or approximately 650 ms following the offset of the stimulus word). Visual inspection of the waveforms indicated that the right frontal lobe distinguished differences in word connotations, with the negative words demonstrating the higher amplitude of response. The right parietal lobe also distinguished differences in word connotations, with the positive words demonstrating the higher amplitude of response. Data obtained through visual inspection indicated greater activation of the right frontal and right parietal lobes for both positive and negative words, as compared to response amplitudes in the left hemisphere. Response latencies were of longer duration in the left hemisphere of the brain.