Event-Related Potentials Reveal Perceptual Simulation of Color in Language Comprehension

Two event-related-potential (ERP) experiments were conducted to investigate the perceptual simulation of color in language processing. ERP components measured from 80 to 150 ms (N1) and from 150 to 200 ms (P2) after the onset of congruent-color pictures both differed from the incongruent-color pictures in Experiment 1. However, there were no such patterns when a preceding object noun was added before the object pictures in Experiment 2. That is, the preceding object noun modulated the two early ERP components elicited by the following object picture that are known to be associated with perceptual processes. These results provided by far the strongest evidence that semantic processing cannot account fully for the congruence effects supposed to be indicate color representation.