Time course of indirect reply comprehension in the young and older adults: an event-related potential study.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

In verbal communication, speakers often use implicit utterances that need listeners to interpret via pragmatic inference. As individuals age, their ability to make efficient and accurate pragmatic inferences may decline, leading to communication difficulties.

Objectives

This study examined the cognitive aging phenomenon of pragmatic inference and its neural mechanisms using EEG recordings.

Methods

Participants were presented with dialogues involving direct and indirect replies and were required to judge the speaker's intended meaning based on the context.

Results

Younger participants outperformed older participants in task accuracy for indirect replies. Both groups exhibited an increased N400 for indirect replies in the late stages of reply present

SUBMITTER: Feng W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12287003 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature