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Proposal : Addition of N400 experiment #299

@i-vikaas

Description

@i-vikaas

I propose adding a new ERP experiment to the repo that elicits the N400 component, which reflects semantic processing and the brain’s response to unexpected or incongruent words in language.

Summary of the Feature

  • Experiment Name: language_n400

  • Paradigm: Sentence reading task using semantic congruity manipulation

  • Design: Present sentences where the final word is either congruent (makes sense) or incongruent (semantically unexpected). For example:

    • Congruent: “She spread the bread with butter.”
    • Incongruent: “She spread the bread with socks.”
  • ERP Component: N400 — a negative-going wave peaking around 400 ms after the critical word, strongest at central-parietal electrodes (e.g., Cz, Pz).

  • Use Case: Useful for education, ERP training, and research on semantic processing. Also supports comparison with other ERP components like the P300.

Dataset Reference (Public, External)

To support this experiment, I plan to reference the [Dryad N400 Sentence Stimulus Dataset], which is released under the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license (public domain).

This dataset provides:

  • Sentence stimuli with semantic congruity/incongruity conditions
  • Public EEG recordings from a validated semantic violation task
  • A benchmark for ERP extraction and validation

Note: I will not re-upload the dataset. Instead:

  • The dataset will be cited in the experiment README
  • A direct link to the Dryad DOI will be included
  • The dataset may be referenced in the analysis notebook for optional benchmarking or comparison

If you'd like to see this feature implemented, add a 👍 reaction to this post.

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