Abstract: Using explicit priming paradigms, researchers have found the N400 effects of music on the language, indicating the music might have an effect on language. However, the mechanics of how music affects an emotional word is not yet clear. Based on the previous researches focused on the influence of music on word processing, the present study adopted an implicit emotional priming paradigm by using the event related potential (ERP) technology to further investigate the mechanism of N400 priming effects of music on the emotional words. A total of twenty undergraduates or graduated students (9 males and 11 females) without any professional music training experience participated in this study. The participants were asked to perform a lexical decision task to examine the priming effects of music excerpts with multi-emotional types on target emotional words. The music excerpts were either congruent or incongruent with the target words in emotional meanings. Both their behavior and electroencephalogram (EEG) data were recorded. During the experiment, the EEG data were recorded in direct current (DC) mode from 32 scalp electrodes located at standard positions of 10-20 system. After the experiment, the ERP data had been extracted with the conventional EEG processing methods, including linear derivation, DC offset correction, ocular artifact reduction, epoch file, baseline correct, artifact rejection, filter and average. Behavior results showed a significant priming effect on the accuracy rate for the lexical decision of real word, thought there was no significant difference between the response time of congruence condition and that of incongruence condition. ERP results showed an N400 effect comparable with previous studies focused on the impact of music on word processing using explicit task, indicating this N400 effect was irrelevant to the strategy of the subjects. Further statistic analysis was focused on the two sub-components of N400, the earlier N400a (250~350ms) and the later N400b (350~550ms). Using repeated measure ANOVA analysis separately, we found a significant difference in the mean amplitude of N400a and a marginal significant difference in the mean amplitude of N400b between congruence and incongruence conditions. No significant interaction between relatedness and location was found in N400a section, indicating the N400a effect was found throughout the head. However, a significant interaction between relatedness and location was found in N400b section. Further paired T test analysis for every ROI and the illustration of topographic maps showed that the N400b effect located in the parietal-occipital area, similar to the traditional N400 effect induced by semantic conflict. These topology differences of N400 between the earlier and the later component might indicate the different conflict processing of the target word influenced by the prime music excerpt. By comparing the results found in our experiment with that in previous studies, we supposed that the earlier N400a component was induced by the emotional conflict of music and word, and the late N400b component was induced by the semantic conflict of the prime and target. In conclusion, the results we found suggest that music affects emotional words processing through both emotional and semantic priming.

Key words: Music psychology, Priming effect, ERP, Hevner music emotional response table

摘要： 本研究在前人研究的基础上进一步探讨音乐对情感词的启动机制。采用内隐情感启动范式，运用脑电技术考察多种情感类型的音乐片段对情感意义一致或不一致的词加工的启动影响。行为实验结果显示，音乐对情感词产生启动效应。脑电实验的结果发现，音乐对情感词的启动效应表现为早晚两个子成分的N400效应，首先是音乐直接引发的情绪产生第一个启动，表现为早成分的N400；其次是音乐通过联想引发的情感语义而产生第二个启动，表现为晚成分的N400。据此可以认为，音乐对情感词的启动是双启动模式。

关键词: 音乐心理学, 启动效应, 脑电技术, 海芙娜音乐与情绪反应词表