Neural Correlates of Processing Syntax in Music and ... - PubMan

Experiment IV 144
Figure 12-3 summarizes the findings for all four investigated ERP components. The
chart in the upper panel shows (for all four ROIs) the amplitude of the ERPs from the
music experiment (ERAN and N5), the lower panel contains the corresponding data for
the language experiment (ELAN and LSN). In the table below each chart, an overview
of the results of the planned comparisons with user-defined contrasts is given. It is
shown in which ROI the investigated ERP component was significant. Four different
comparisons were reported at the table’s rows: It is indicated whether a significant difference
was found, in the first line for the mean of both groups, in the third line for the
MT group, and in the fourth line for the NM group. In the second line, it was determined
if the amplitude in the MT group was larger than in the NM group.
Figure 12-2 Scalp topographies of the investigated ERP components (ERAN, N5, ELAN, and LSN). The
topographies are a spherical spline interpolation of the amplitude difference between either
irregular and regular chords (ERAN and N5) or syntactically incorrect and correct sentences
(ELAN and LSN). The time windows were the same as these used for statistical evaluation.
In the upper panel the ERPs from the music experiment, in the bottom panel these from the
language experiment are shown. For each ERP component the head plots from the children
with musical training (MT) are on the left side, the these of the children without musical
training (NM) on the right side.
Music experiment
ERAN: An ERAN was elicited in response to the irregular compared to regular chords
at the end of a chord sequence (see Figure 12-1). It was most prominent at the electrodes
of the anterior ROIs and had a slightly higher amplitudes over the right (M=