EEG components of spontaneous trait inferences

Abstract

Can event-related electro-encephalogram (EEG) responses provide support for the occurrence of spontaneous trait inferences (STI)? Participants read sentences describing the behavior of a target person from which a strong trait could be inferred. The last word of each sentence determined the consistency with the trait induced during an introductory paragraph. In comparison with sentences that were consistent with the implied trait, when the sentences were inconsistent, an event-related P300 waveform was observed at parietal scalp regions (Pz). This dependency on behavioral consistency indicates that trait inferences were made spontaneously. Memory measures taken after the presentation of the stimulus material involved sentence completion and trait-cued recall, and also supported the occurrence of spontaneously inferred traits associated with the actor. Interestingly, increased memory for consistent relative to inconsistent behaviors at the trait-cued recall task was significantly correlated with the P300, which supports this latter measure as a valid neural correlate of spontaneous trait inferences.

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by an OZR Grant of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel to Edwin Verstraeten. We are very grateful to Bruce Bartholow for providing his experimental stimulus material. Caroline Sterken is now at the Neuropsychological Lab, Department of Medicine, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium.