Online First 2025-11-14

The aim of the study was to analyse brain responses to offensive words and comparethem with non-vulgar negative words. We hypothesised differences in ERPamplitudes within the first 200 ms after the word’s onset and late modulationrelated to the processing of vulgar words. Twenty-five volunteers viewed brieflypresented (500 ms) sets (each n = 20) of vulgar, negative, and neutral adjectives.Four time windows were analysed, corresponding to the N1 (80–120 ms), the P150(130–180 ms), the N400 (350–450 ms), and the late positive potential (LPP, 500–700 ms) components of the ERP. There were no differences noted on the earliestcomponent. There was a significant result on the P150 with the highest amplitudesevoked to negative adjectives and the lowest amplitudes evoked to the vulgaradjectives. The effect indicates less demanding attentional engagement foroffensive language during the first lexico-semantic analysis stage. There was alsoLPP modulation with the highest amplitudes evoked in response to the vulgarwords. Swearwords seem to be a special category marked early and late in visualprocessing, based not on valence or arousal attributes, but rather on social taboodefiance, which does not necessitate heightened levels of attentional capture, butengages more elaborate semantic re-analysis.