Presentation Information
[P2-31]Pre-motor and auditory processing for inner and overt speech
*Lachlan James Hall1, Thomas J Whitford2, Mike E Le Pelley2, Bradley N Jack1 (1. Australian National University (Australia), 2. University of New South Wales (Australia))
Keywords:
Inner Speech,EEG,Decoding,Overt Speech
There is a long-standing debate as to whether the neural processes associated with inner speech – the silent production of words in one’s mind – and overt speech – the audible production of words via movement of the articulator organs – are the same or different. Watson (1913) claimed that the only difference between them is that inner speech does not produce an audible sound, whereas Vygotsky (1934) argued that they are completely different. To distinguish between these possibilities in the context of pre-motor and auditory processing, we sought to investigate the similarities and differences in both the N1, an event-related potential (ERP) associated with auditory processing, and the slow negative wave, a negative-going deflection preceding the onset of a voluntary action. To elicit these potentials, participants were instructed to watch an animation which provided them with precise knowledge about when they should produce a sound (e.g., “cat”) in either inner or overt speech. At the same time, participants would hear an audible sound played through headphones that either matched (e.g., “cat”) or mismatched (e.g., “dog”) the sound they produced. The results and their implications for understanding the perception of inner and overt speech will be discussed.