Domain-specialised and domain-general neurocognitive substrates in language and music domains : contributions from ERP correlates of expectancy violations

Abstract

This thesis contributes to the interdisciplinary debate about the extent of shared and separable neurocognitive mechanisms between language and music processing. To achieve this, ERP (event-related potential) correlates of expectancy violations for major processes in each domain were investigated. The results of Chapter 3 support the distinctness of ERP effects elicited by semantic, grammar and harmonic expectancy violations (a centroparietal N400, central P600 and frontal P300, respectively). These findings support the hypothesis that these processes rely on separable neurocognitive substrates. In Chapter 4, meter violations elicit an N1 effect in the music domain, but the evidence for an N1 effect in the language domain was inconclusive. There was a P2 effect in both language and music domains, providing novel support for the hypothesis that some substrates involved in meter processing are domain-general. Finally, in Chapter 5, meter violations were presented simultaneously with semantic, grammar and harmonic violations. All aforementioned ERP effects were replicated. Crucially, there were no interactions in any ERP effects, signalling that their associated processes rely on distinct substrates. Overall, this thesis provides valuable contributions to the literature, indicating that at least some neurocognitive substrates involved in semantic, grammar and harmony processing are domain-specialised, while those involved in meter processing could be domain-general.