The Multi-Determined Nature of Online Verbal Irony Processing: A Review of Empirical Studies Employing Eye-Tracking and Event-Related Potentials

Abstract

Methodologies used in behavioral studies on the processing of figurative languages have been criticized for lack of sufficiently fine-grained recordings. Thus, recent literature on empirical studies on irony processing often talks about advantages of online-processing employing techniques with higher temporal resolution. This article reviews a series of selected Event-Related Brain Potentials (ERPs) and eye-tracking studies on the recognition and comprehension of verbal irony to provide an informed state of knowledge on this particular figurative language. First of all, we will introduce some common eye-tacking measures and ERP components recorded in these empirical studies; then we will enumerate factors involved in verbal irony processing from three differing but closely related dimensions. In this way, we expect to propose future research directions that could embrace more cognitive difference of individuals within the framework of theories about verbal irony comprehension.