Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41114405›Full record

ArticleBilingualism (Cambridge, England)2025

Semantic processing of iconic signs is not automatic: Neural evidence from hearing non-signers.

Emily M Akers, Katherine J Midgley, Phillip J Holcomb, Karen Emmorey

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Bilingualism (Cambridge, England), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Emily M AkersJoint Doctoral Program in Language and Communicative Disorders, San Diego State University & University of California, San Diego.ORCID 0009-0004-3918-5644
Katherine J MidgleyDepartment of Psychology, San Diego State University.
Phillip J HolcombDepartment of Psychology, San Diego State University.
Karen EmmoreySchool of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, San Diego State University.

Funding

Language, Modality and the BrainR01DC010997 · NIDCD · SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY · PI KAREN EMMOREY · 2010 to 2026
$8.6M
NIDCD NIH HHS R01 DC010997
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Iconicity facilitates learning signs, but it is unknown whether recognition of meaning from the sign form occurs automatically. We recorded ERPs to highly iconic (transparent) and non-iconic ASL signs presented to one group who knew they would be taught signs (learners) and another group with no such expectations (non-learners). Participants watched sign videos and detected an occasional grooming gesture (no semantic processing required). Before sign onset, learners showed a greater frontal negativity compared to non-learners for both sign types, possibly due to greater motivation to attend to signs. During the N400 window, learners showed greater negativity to iconic than non-iconic signs, indicating more semantic processing for iconic signs. The non-learners showed a later and much weaker iconicity effect. The groups did not differ in task performance or in P3 amplitude. We conclude that comprehending the form-meaning mapping of highly iconic signs is not automatic and requires motivation and attention.

Indexed as

American Sign Languageattentionevent-related potentialsiconicityN400

Identifiers

PMID41114405
PMCPMC12530573

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.