TY - JOUR
T1 - The effect of anticipated achievement feedback on students' semantic processing as indicated by the N400 cloze effect
AU - Janssen, Eva M.
AU - van der Ven, Sanne H G
AU - van Hoogmoed, Anne H.
AU - Leseman, Paul P M
PY - 2017/2/1
Y1 - 2017/2/1
N2 - The present study examined the effects of anticipated achievement feedback on students' semantic processing on the neural level, using event-related brain potentials (ERPs). Participants (N = 79) anticipated either self-referential or normative achievement feedback regarding an announced upcoming test. Additionally, their performance expectations (low vs. no expectations) were orthogonally manipulated. Subsequently, students' on-line semantic processing was assessed by measuring the N400 cloze effect, a component in the EEG signal of which the amplitude is associated with semantic processing. Within the low performance-expectation condition, no effect of anticipated feedback on semantic processing was found. Within the no-performance-expectation condition, participants anticipating self-referential feedback showed a more widely distributed N400 cloze effect than participants anticipating normative feedback. The results confirmed the hypothesis that the mere expectation of a particular type of feedback can affect students' semantic processes.
AB - The present study examined the effects of anticipated achievement feedback on students' semantic processing on the neural level, using event-related brain potentials (ERPs). Participants (N = 79) anticipated either self-referential or normative achievement feedback regarding an announced upcoming test. Additionally, their performance expectations (low vs. no expectations) were orthogonally manipulated. Subsequently, students' on-line semantic processing was assessed by measuring the N400 cloze effect, a component in the EEG signal of which the amplitude is associated with semantic processing. Within the low performance-expectation condition, no effect of anticipated feedback on semantic processing was found. Within the no-performance-expectation condition, participants anticipating self-referential feedback showed a more widely distributed N400 cloze effect than participants anticipating normative feedback. The results confirmed the hypothesis that the mere expectation of a particular type of feedback can affect students' semantic processes.
KW - Anticipated achievement feedback
KW - Emotions
KW - Event-related potentials
KW - N400
KW - Semantic processing
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84994316253&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.learninstruc.2016.10.003
DO - 10.1016/j.learninstruc.2016.10.003
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84994316253
SN - 0959-4752
VL - 47
SP - 80
EP - 90
JO - Learning and Instruction
JF - Learning and Instruction
ER -