Content dependence of the neural correlates of recollection: ERP old/new effects for faces, objects and words

Abstract: As previous research on content-specificity of the neural correlates of recollection is inconclusive, event-related potentials were used to assess old/new effects for faces, objects and words. The data demonstrate temporal differences in ERP old/new effects as a function of item type, supporting the notion that material-dependent processes underlie recollection-related neural activity. The results are discussed in terms of how nameable and non-nameable material elicit different neural representations of mnemonic information, as a consequence of how different item types are encoded and retrieved according to perceptual and contextual content.