False but phonologically plausible linguistic priors induce cross-linguistic auditory illusions and attenuate electrophysiological markers of surprise.
Overview
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
- University of Camerino, Camerino, Italy
- Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
- University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
- Center for Translational Neurophysiology of Speech and Communication, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Ferrara, Italy
Abstract
According to predictive coding theory, perception arises from the interplay between top–down expectations and bottom–up sensory input. In the auditory domain, this interplay can lead to illusory experiences—for instance, when phonetic similarities between languages cause listeners to mishear foreign lyrics as familiar words in their native language. This study investigated how linguistic priors influence auditory perception during song listening. Participants read sentences in English or Italian before hearing English song excerpts, then rated how well the lyrics matched the text. Crucially, some of the Italian sentences were phonologically similar to the English lyrics, resulting in a cross-linguistic auditory illusion (“Illusory Trials”) in which listeners reported the content of the lyrics matched that of the Italian text. EEG analysis showed that two neural markers of surprise—P200 amplitude and gamma-band activity—were heightened while listening to songs that were not perceived to match the preceding text, reflecting the violation of expectations. In contrast, these markers were attenuated in illusory trials, suggesting reduced prediction error despite the lack of semantic match. Time–frequency analysis revealed an early gamma response followed by beta-band dominance in the illusory condition, consistent with initial sensory mismatch followed by top–down assimilation. Together, these findings show that phonologically plausible but false linguistic priors can induce auditory illusions and modulate predictive processing during song perception.
Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.
Code
The paper says that its authors' code is available on request: it was not published with the paper, so there is nothing to verify.
The paper's code and data availability statement is in the Data section.
Tracing map
A tracing map links a paper to the code its authors published: this paper has none (its code is available on request), so it has no map.
Data
No dataset and no data link were found in the paper.
Data and Code Availability
The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. Due to ethical and privacy considerations, the data are not publicly available.
Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.
Versions
The history of this record: each version stored by the harvester or made by a correction of its authors or of the maintainers of its code, and what changed in its facts. The texts of the paper (its abstract, its availability statements) are not part of it; versions that changed only those are not listed.
Version 1, 30 September 2026: the first record
Recorded: type, language, journal, volume, pages, dates, 8 authors, 4 keywords, 6 funders, 108 references.
Cite
This paper
Giraldi, E., Frosolone, M., Corcoran, A. W., Barca, L., Corsini, A., Donnarumma, F., D’Ausilio, A., & Pezzulo, G. (2026). False but phonologically plausible linguistic priors induce cross-linguistic auditory illusions and attenuate electrophysiological markers of surprise. Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.), 4, IMAG.a.1178. https://
BibTeX
@article{giraldi2026fals
author = {Giraldi, Enrico and Frosolone, Mirco and Corcoran, Andrew W. and Barca, Laura and Corsini, Alessandro and Donnarumma, Francesco and D’Ausilio, Alessandro and Pezzulo, Giovanni},
title = {{False but phonologically plausible linguistic priors induce cross-linguistic auditory illusions and attenuate electrophysiological markers of surprise}},
journal = {Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)},
year = {2026},
month = mar,
volume = {4},
pages = {IMAG.a.1178},
publisher = {MIT Press},
issn = {2837-6056},
doi = {10.1162/
url = {https://
pmid = {41907307},
pmcid = {PMC13023413}
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
AU - Giraldi, Enrico
AU - Frosolone, Mirco
AU - Corcoran, Andrew W.
AU - Barca, Laura
AU - Corsini, Alessandro
AU - Donnarumma, Francesco
AU - D’Ausilio, Alessandro
AU - Pezzulo, Giovanni
TI - False but phonologically plausible linguistic priors induce cross-linguistic auditory illusions and attenuate electrophysiological markers of surprise
T2 - Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)
J2 - Imaging Neurosci (Camb)
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/
VL - 4
SP - IMAG.a.1178
SN - 2837-6056
PB - MIT Press
DO - 10.1162/
UR - https://
LA - en
ER -
CSL-JSON
{
"id": "10.1162/
"type": "article-journal",
"title": "False but phonologically plausible linguistic priors induce cross-linguistic auditory illusions and attenuate electrophysiological markers of surprise",
"container-title": "Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)",
"author": [
{
"family": "Giraldi",
"given": "Enrico"
},
{
"family": "Frosolone",
"given": "Mirco"
},
{
"family": "Corcoran",
"given": "Andrew W."
},
{
"family": "Barca",
"given": "Laura"
},
{
"family": "Corsini",
"given": "Alessandro"
},
{
"family": "Donnarumma",
"given": "Francesco"
},
{
"family": "D’Ausilio",
"given": "Alessandro"
},
{
"family": "Pezzulo",
"given": "Giovanni"
}
],
"container-title-short":
"volume": "4",
"page": "IMAG.a.1178",
"DOI": "10.1162/
"PMID": "41907307",
"PMCID": "PMC13023413",
"ISSN": "2837-6056",
"publisher": "MIT Press",
"URL": "https://
"language": "en",
"issued": {
"date-parts": [
[
2026,
3,
26
]
]
}
}
Similar papers
The papers with a page that share the most with this one: the tools found in their code, their categories, datasets, cited references and authors, the rarest counting most.
- [1] doi:10.1038/s41467-024-53782-5 [code]
- Convergent neural signatures of speech prediction error are a biological marker for spoken word recognition.Journal: Nature communicationsIn common: cognitive, 14 references
- [2] doi:10.1093/cercor/bhac094 [code]
- Expectations boost the reconstruction of auditory features from electrophysiological responses to noisy speech.Journal: Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)In common: EEG, cognitive, 12 references
- [3] doi:10.1162/imag_a_00131 [code]
- Can prediction error explain predictability effects on the N1 during picture-word verification?Journal: Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)In common: EEG, cognitive, 13 references
- [4] doi:10.1002/hbm.26482
- A multimodal cortical network of sensory expectation violation revealed by fMRI.Journal: Human brain mappingIn common: EEG, cognitive, 12 references
- [5] doi:10.1002/hbm.70518
- Voluntary Attention Selectively Modulates Omission Responses.Journal: Human brain mappingIn common: EEG, cognitive, 10 references
- [6] doi:10.1038/s42003-022-04049-6 [code]
- A quantitative model reveals a frequency ordering of prediction and prediction-error signals in the human brain.Journal: Communications biologyIn common: EEG, cognitive, 10 references
- [7] doi:10.1073/pnas.2201968119
- A hierarchy of linguistic predictions during natural language comprehension.Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of AmericaIn common: EEG, cognitive, 9 references
- [8] doi:10.1038/s42003-025-09377-x [code]
- Hierarchical linguistic predictions and cross-level information updating during narrative comprehension.Journal: Communications biologyIn common: cognitive, 9 references
- [9] doi:10.1038/s41598-024-61989-1
- Decoding predicted musical notes from omitted stimulus potentials.Journal: Scientific reportsIn common: EEG, cognitive, 8 references
- [10] doi:10.1016/j.nicl.2024.103671 [code]
- Frontotemporal lobar degeneration changes neuronal beta-frequency dynamics during the mismatch negativity response.Journal: NeuroImage. ClinicalIn common: EEG, 9 references
Contribute
The authors of this paper can claim it, correct its record and validate its tracing map, and the maintainers of its code (its owner, or a public member of its organization) correct what it says of their repository; anyone signed in can ask for its removal. Every request goes to OSCR's own machine, which answers it; your account page follows them.
Sign in with ORCID to claim this paper as one of its authors, correct its record or validate its tracing map: when the paper's metadata lists your ORCID iD, you are recognized at once. Maintainers of its code: sign in with GitHub, then claim the repository on your account page.
Claim this paper
Correct its record
Say what each link of this record is, remove the ones that are not the paper's, add the ones that are missing. The correction becomes a new version of the record, in its Versions section.
Request its removal
To ask OSCR to remove this record, the copies of its authors' scripts or its tracing map, use the removal request page: signed in, you say who you are, what to remove and why, then review and confirm the request. Published rules decide every request (how).
Discussion, reproductions, activity
Discussion: code errors and mismatches between the code and the paper about this paper and its code, from readers and its authors, beside the paper and its tracing map.
Reproductions: reports from readers who ran the authors' code and did not get the paper's result, what they ran, with which environment, commit and data.
Activity: what happens around this paper: new versions of its record, its map's validation, discussions and reproductions. It opens with sign-in.