The Phonological Mapping Negativity: A systematic review

The Phonological Mapping (or ‘Mismatch’) Negativity (PMN) is an ERP component that has been used throughout neurocognitive language science for the last 30 years. Although the PMN is thought to be distinct from the slightly earlier auditory Mismatch Negativity (MMN), and later N400, recent research has highlighted a substantial paucity of reliable evidence distinguishing the PMN from these two other brain responses. To determine whether methodological limitations of initial studies reporting a PMN response undermine the authenticity of the brainwave as a dependent variable, the current review intends to provide the first critical synthesis of research literature on the Phonological Mapping Negativity.