Semantic word integration in children with cochlear implants: electrophysiological evidence

Differential auditory experiences of children with hearing-loss who receive cochlear implants (CIs) may influence the integration of lexical and conceptual information. Here we measured event-related potentials during a word-picture priming task in CI-using children (n = 29, mean age = 81 months) and typically-hearing children (n = 19, mean age = 75 months) while they viewed audiovisual-word primes and picture targets that were semantically congruent or incongruent. In both groups, semantic relatedness modulated ERP amplitude 300–500 ms after picture onset, signifying an N400 semantic effect. Critically, the CI-using children’s responses to unrelated pairs were significantly more negative than hearing children’s responses. Group differences were mirrored in an earlier 150–275 ms time window associated with a P2 response. The present findings suggest attentional and/or strategic differences impact semantic processing and contribute to the N400 differences observed between groups.