Figure 3

Task procedure. (a) At the start of each block, a text cue indicating which type of verbal response was to be adopted was presented for 3 s. (b) In each trial, a general explanation was presented for 2 s. (c) The picture stimulus was then shown for 2 s, and (d) the verbal response was elicited for 4 s. The subjects were asked to read the verbal response soon after it appeared and to press a button with their right index finger while reading. (e) The intertrial interval (ITI) varied from 0 to 3.5 s. (f) Four trials with the same types of verbal responses were presented in one block. The duration of each block was 43.5 s. The interval between blocks was 6.5 s, during which time a central fixation cross (+) was presented to signal the resting condition. Eighty stimuli (16 stimulus sets, 20 blocks) were presented while subjects underwent fMRI scanning; the order of stimuli and blocks were counterbalanced among subjects. The entire scanning time was 17 min, 20 s.