Priming effect in ERPs elicited by repeatedly displaying faces and names

Since we found some interesting facts about repeated face presenting in our previous studies, we reported and compared the priming effect with the data and references on ERPs elicited by face in the present paper. Priming effects of ERPs in 26 college students were studied using 40 face photos and 40 names projected randomly on a screen, including 20 public familiar persons and 20 strange persons. Subjects were instructed to judge whether or not the slide was familiar. ERPs were recorded for 1,150 ms at Cz, Pz, P3, P4, T3, T4, O1 and O2, and averaged, respectively, according to familiar and strange. Thereafter the names in Chinese characters displayed on the screen preceded as prime items; photos followed as target items. Each of a pair was presented for 500 ms with an interval of 50 ms. Repetition priming effects were observed in short latency of P300 at T4. Semantic priming effects of names on recognition of familiar photos were observed in shorter latencies of P300 at T4, O1 and O2; while the latencies of negative components with latency 100-400 ms became longer at all recording sites, except N400 at O2 whose latency was short. The results demonstrated that there were much more brain areas taking part in priming effects, including striate visual cortex.Clinical NeurologyNeurosciencesPhysiologyPsychiatryCPCI-S(ISTP)