ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHIC RECORDING DURING NATURALISTIC CONVERSATION: PRELIMINARY INSIGHTS FROM AN EVENT-RELATED POTENTIAL LANGUAGE STUDY

Abstract

EEG hyperscanning, which refers to recording simultaneous EEG data from multiple people, are becoming more popular in language cognition research. Studies have mainly focused on neuro-oscillatory dynamics as it is difficult to examine unpredictable occurrences in a highly time-locked manner as necessitated by event-related potential (ERP) studies. We developed EEG hyperscanning methods to detect ERPs in response to words people hear during a conversation. Specifically, we examined if the N400 response differed between hearing low and high lexical frequency words. Pairs of participants (n=35) had a scripted conversation together while EEG hyperscanning occurred. A control group of pairs of participants (n=41) watched a recording of the same conversations while undergoing EEG hyperscanning. There was a significantly greater N400 response to low frequency words in comparison to high frequency words in both groups, replicating previous findings. These results demonstrate that the N400 ERP can be obtained using stimuli generated by experimental participants engaged in conversation.