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Effects of Semantic Congruence on Sign Identification: An ERP Study

Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of semantic congruence and incongruence on sign identification by using event-related potentials (ERPs). Background Sign systems have crucial roles in public spaces and traffic facilities. Poorly designed signs can easily confuse pedestrians and drivers and reduce the efficiency of public activities and urban administration. Method Thirty-one participants completed a sign identification experiment independently in a laboratory setting. Experimental materials were selected from GB/T 10001, a Chinese national recommendation standard that is officially named Public Information Graphical Symbols for Use on Signs. All ERP data were processed using MATLAB 13b, and behavioral data were analyzed using Stata 14. Results N170, P200, N300, and N400 components were induced during semantic processing. Statistical analysis revealed that semantic congruence has a main effect on N300 in the frontal region and has a main effect on N400 at FZ in the frontal region, CPZ in the parietal-central region, and PZ in the parietal region. Amplitudes of N300 induced by picture–word matching were considerably different between the two experimental conditions at electrodes FZ and FCZ. Amplitudes of N400 were significantly larger in the incongruent condition than in the congruent condition. Conclusion The study demonstrated that N300 and N400 are promising indicators for measuring semantic congruence in future sign design. Application Our findings provide ERP indicators for measuring the semantic congruence of sign design, which can be easily applied to improve the efficiency of sign design and sign comprehension.