Semantic satiation within-category

The phenomenon of Semantic Satiation refers to temporary loss or attenuation of the meaning of a word when this word is repeatedly perceived. For instance, Kounios and colleagues (2000) showed a modulation on the ERP amplitude within the timewindow of the N400 to critical words (e.g., cat), as a function of the number of presentations (1 or 15) to a prime word (e.g., dog). Despite the relevant implications of Semantic Satiation for models of semantic access and word recognition, studies on this topic have been focused on repetitions of a single word. The present study aimed to explore Semantic Satiation within‐semantic category. In an electrophysiology study, we adopted the paradigm of Kounios et al. (2000) and presented critical words that could be preceded by: a) one semantic withincategory coordinate (Low Semantic Satiation condition); b) by eleven semantic within‐category coordinates (High Semantic Satiation condition); or c) by more than eleven semantically unrelated words (Unrelated condition). Participants performed a word‐detection task on a filler semantic category. Congruently with previous studies, a modulation of the ERP amplitude was observed in a time window between 350‐500 ms (N400) for both the Low and High Semantic Satiation conditions with respect to the Unrelated condition. In addition, the High Semantic Satiation condition but not the Low Semantic condition, showed a modulation of the ERP amplitude in an early time window (180‐250 ms). The results suggest that semantic satiation can be obtained even with massive exposure to semantic coordinates and suggest, in line with the hypothesis of two distinct sources for semantic effects (see Peressotti et al., 2012), that semantic satiation is primarily affecting the early response of the semantic system to a linguistic stimulus.