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Wolpert M, Zhang H, Baum S, Steinhauer K. Native and non-native parsing of adjective placement - An ERP study of Mandarin and English sentence processing. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2024; 254:105427. [PMID: 38852263 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2024.105427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Revised: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
Adjectives in English and Mandarin are typically prenominal, but the corresponding grammatical rules vary in subtle ways. Our event-related potential (ERP) study shows that native speakers of both languages rely on similar processing mechanisms when reading sentences with anomalous noun-adjective order (e.g., the vase *white) in their first language, reflected by a biphasic N400-P600 profile. Only Mandarin native speakers showed an additional N400 on grammatical adjectives (e.g., the white vase), potentially due to atypical word-by-word presentation of lexicalized compounds. English native speakers with advanced Mandarin proficiency were tested in both languages. They processed ungrammatical noun-adjective pairs in English like English monolinguals (N400-P600), but only exhibited an N400 in Mandarin. The absent P600 effect corresponded to their (surprisingly) low proficiency with noun-adjective violations in Mandarin, questioning simple rule transfer from English grammar.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max Wolpert
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China; Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Room 302 Irving Ludmer Building, 1033 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1A1, Canada; Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, 2001 Av. McGill College #6, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1G1, Canada.
| | - Hui Zhang
- School of Foreign Languages and Cultures, Nanjing Normal University, Suiyuan Campus, Building 500, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210024, China.
| | - Shari Baum
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, 2001 Av. McGill College #6, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1G1, Canada; School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, McGill University, 2001 Av. McGill College #8, Montréal, Quebec H3A 1G1, Canada.
| | - Karsten Steinhauer
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, 2001 Av. McGill College #6, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1G1, Canada; School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, McGill University, 2001 Av. McGill College #8, Montréal, Quebec H3A 1G1, Canada.
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2
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Gunuc S, Koylu EO. Investigation of the Relationships Between Beck Depression/Anxiety Scores and Neuropsychological Tests Scores with Lifestyle Behaviors in the Context of Neuroplasticity and Neurogenesis Approach. Neuroscience 2023; 516:62-74. [PMID: 36805428 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2023.02.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/19/2023]
Abstract
In this study, the relationships between lifestyle behaviors within the scope of neuroplasticity and neurogenesis approach and depression, anxiety and neuropsychological test scores were examined. As this study aimed to reveal the relationships between events or variables, it was designed using the "descriptive cross-sectional study" method, one of descriptive and relational research methods, was used. The data were collected from 117 students by the researchers using the Öktem Verbal Memory Test, WCST, Digit Span Test, Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Scale and Lifestyle Behaviors Survey.According to the results, the quality of sport/exercise and the quality of life showed a significant difference in the depression model, while social support demonstrated a significant difference in the anxiety model. It was seen that those with high scores in life quality and in perceived social support had significantly lower depression and anxiety scores. Moreover, those with good levels of sleep quality, social interaction and nutrition had significantly lower depression scores.Both depression and anxiety scores of those who did sport/exercise, which was among the lifestyle behaviors, were found to be significantly lower. Lastly, the correlations between the neuropsychological test scores and the depression and anxiety scores were examined, and a significant positive correlation was found between both depression and anxiety scores and the "failure to maintain set" scores.
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Affiliation(s)
- Selim Gunuc
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, İzmir Bakırçay University, İzmir, Turkey.
| | - Ersin O Koylu
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, İzmir Bakırçay University, İzmir, Turkey; Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, Bornova, İzmir, Turkey.
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3
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Leckey M, Troyer M, Federmeier KD. Patterns of hemispheric asymmetry provide evidence dissociating the semantic and syntactic P600. Neuropsychologia 2023; 179:108441. [PMID: 36539059 PMCID: PMC9839550 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
To understand how neural networks in the left (LH) and right (RH) cerebral hemispheres contribute to different aspects of language comprehension, in two experiments we measured event-related potentials (ERPs) as right-handed participants read sentences, some of which contained morphosyntactic and thematic role violations. Replicating prior work (Kuperberg et al., 2006), in Experiment 1 thematic role violations elicited both an N400 and a (semantic) P600 effect. Morphosyntactic violations elicited effects that differed as a function of participants' familial sinistrality (the presence [FS+] or absence [FS-] of a left-handed biological relative): FS+ participants showed a (syntactic) P600 effect whereas FS- participants showed a biphasic N400 and P600 response. To assess whether this difference reflects different underlying patterns of lateralization, in Experiment 2 target words were presented using visual half-field (VF) presentation. Indeed, for morphosyntactic violations, the FS- group elicited an asymmetric pattern, showing a P600 effect only with LH-biased presentation and an N400 effect in both VFs (cf. Lee and Federmeier, 2015). In contrast, FS+ participants showed a bilateral (N400-only) response pattern. This provides further evidence of FS-based differences in hemispheric contributions to syntactic processing. Strikingly, we found that, when lateralized, thematic role violations did not elicit a P600 effect, suggesting that this effect requires contributions from both hemispheres. The different response patterns for morphosyntactic and thematic role animacy violations across FS and VF also point to a processing difference in the comprehension mechanisms underlying the semantic and syntactic P600, which had heretofore been assumed to be variants of the same component.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle Leckey
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 603 E. Daniel Street, Champaign, IL, 61820, USA
| | - Melissa Troyer
- Beckman Institute of Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA
| | - Kara D Federmeier
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 603 E. Daniel Street, Champaign, IL, 61820, USA; Beckman Institute of Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA.
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4
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Pescuma VN, Serova D, Lukassek J, Sauermann A, Schäfer R, Adli A, Bildhauer F, Egg M, Hülk K, Ito A, Jannedy S, Kordoni V, Kuehnast M, Kutscher S, Lange R, Lehmann N, Liu M, Lütke B, Maquate K, Mooshammer C, Mortezapour V, Müller S, Norde M, Pankratz E, Patarroyo AG, Pleşca AM, Ronderos CR, Rotter S, Sauerland U, Schnelle G, Schulte B, Schüppenhauer G, Sell BM, Solt S, Terada M, Tsiapou D, Verhoeven E, Weirich M, Wiese H, Zaruba K, Zeige LE, Lüdeling A, Knoeferle P. Situating language register across the ages, languages, modalities, and cultural aspects: Evidence from complementary methods. Front Psychol 2023; 13:964658. [PMID: 36687875 PMCID: PMC9846624 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.964658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In the present review paper by members of the collaborative research center "Register: Language Users' Knowledge of Situational-Functional Variation" (CRC 1412), we assess the pervasiveness of register phenomena across different time periods, languages, modalities, and cultures. We define "register" as recurring variation in language use depending on the function of language and on the social situation. Informed by rich data, we aim to better understand and model the knowledge involved in situation- and function-based use of language register. In order to achieve this goal, we are using complementary methods and measures. In the review, we start by clarifying the concept of "register", by reviewing the state of the art, and by setting out our methods and modeling goals. Against this background, we discuss three key challenges, two at the methodological level and one at the theoretical level: (1) To better uncover registers in text and spoken corpora, we propose changes to established analytical approaches. (2) To tease apart between-subject variability from the linguistic variability at issue (intra-individual situation-based register variability), we use within-subject designs and the modeling of individuals' social, language, and educational background. (3) We highlight a gap in cognitive modeling, viz. modeling the mental representations of register (processing), and present our first attempts at filling this gap. We argue that the targeted use of multiple complementary methods and measures supports investigating the pervasiveness of register phenomena and yields comprehensive insights into the cross-methodological robustness of register-related language variability. These comprehensive insights in turn provide a solid foundation for associated cognitive modeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina N. Pescuma
- Department of German Studies and Linguistics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Dina Serova
- Institute of Archaeology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Julia Lukassek
- Department of German Studies and Linguistics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Antje Sauermann
- Department of German Studies and Linguistics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Roland Schäfer
- Department of German Studies and Linguistics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Aria Adli
- Institute of Romance Studies, Universität zu Köln, Cologne, Germany
| | - Felix Bildhauer
- Department of German Studies and Linguistics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Markus Egg
- Department of English and American Studies, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Kristina Hülk
- Institute of Archaeology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Aine Ito
- Department of German Studies and Linguistics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of English, Linguistics and Theatre Studies, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | | | - Valia Kordoni
- Department of English and American Studies, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Milena Kuehnast
- Department of German Studies and Linguistics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Silvia Kutscher
- Institute of Archaeology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Robert Lange
- Department of German Studies and Linguistics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Nico Lehmann
- Department of German Studies and Linguistics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Mingya Liu
- Department of English and American Studies, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Beate Lütke
- Department of German Studies and Linguistics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Katja Maquate
- Department of German Studies and Linguistics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christine Mooshammer
- Department of German Studies and Linguistics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Stefan Müller
- Department of German Studies and Linguistics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Muriel Norde
- Department for Northern European Studies, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Elizabeth Pankratz
- Department of German Studies and Linguistics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Centre for Language Evolution, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Angela G. Patarroyo
- Department of German Studies and Linguistics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ana-Maria Pleşca
- Department of German Studies and Linguistics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Camilo R. Ronderos
- Department of German Studies and Linguistics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Philosophy, Classics, History of Art and Ideas, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Stephanie Rotter
- Department of English and American Studies, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Gohar Schnelle
- Department of German Studies and Linguistics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Britta Schulte
- Department of German Studies and Linguistics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Gediminas Schüppenhauer
- Department of German Studies and Linguistics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Leibniz-Centre General Linguistics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Bianca Maria Sell
- Department of German Studies and Linguistics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Megumi Terada
- Department of German Studies and Linguistics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Dimitra Tsiapou
- Department of German Studies and Linguistics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Verhoeven
- Department of German Studies and Linguistics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Melanie Weirich
- Leibniz-Centre General Linguistics, Berlin, Germany
- Institute for Germanic Linguistics, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Heike Wiese
- Department of German Studies and Linguistics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Kathy Zaruba
- Department of German Studies and Linguistics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lars Erik Zeige
- Department of German Studies and Linguistics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Anke Lüdeling
- Department of German Studies and Linguistics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Pia Knoeferle
- Department of German Studies and Linguistics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin-Charité, Berlin, Germany
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5
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Andersson A, Gullberg M. First Language Matters: Event-Related Potentials Show Crosslinguistic Influence on the Processing of Placement Verb Semantics. Front Psychol 2022; 13:815801. [PMID: 35874339 PMCID: PMC9301051 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.815801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Second language (L2) learners experience challenges when word meanings differ across L1 and L2, and often display crosslinguistic influence (CLI) in speech production. In contrast, studies of online comprehension show more mixed results. Therefore, this study explored how L2 learners process fine-grained L2 verb semantics in the domain of caused motion (placement) and specifically the impact of having similar vs. non-similar semantics in the L1 and L2. Specifically, we examined English (20) and German (21) L2 learners of Swedish and native Swedish speakers (16) and their online neurophysiological processing and offline appropriateness ratings of three Swedish placement verbs obligatory for placement supported from below: sätta "set," ställa "stand," and lägga "lay." The learners' L1s differed from Swedish in that their placement verbs either shared or did not share semantic characteristics with the target language. English has a general placement verb put, whereas German has specific verbs similar but not identical to Swedish, stellen "set/stand" and legen "lay." Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while participants watched still frames (images) of objects being placed on a table and listened to sentences describing the event with verbs that either matched the image or not. Participants also performed an offline appropriateness rating task. Both tasks suggested CLI. English learners' appropriateness ratings of atypical verb use differed from those of both native Swedish speakers' and German learners, with no difference in the latter pair. Similarly, German learners' ERP effects were more similar to those of the native Swedish speakers (increased lateral negativity to atypical verb use) than to those of the English learners (increased positivity to atypical verb use). The results of this explorative study thus suggest CLI both offline and online with similarity between L1 and L2 indicating more similar processing and judgments, in line with previous production findings, but in contrast to previous ERP work on semantic L2 processing.
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Deng T, Deng D, Feng Q. An Event-Related Potentials Study on the Syntactic Transfer Effect of Late Language Learners. Front Psychol 2022; 12:777225. [PMID: 35046874 PMCID: PMC8761976 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.777225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
This study explored the syntactic transfer effect of the non-local subject-verb agreement structure with plural head noun after two intensive phases of input training with event-related potentials (ERP). The non-local subject-verb agreement stimuli with the plural head nouns, which never appeared in training phases, were used for the stimuli. A total of 26 late L1-Chinese L2-English learners, who began to learn English after a critical period and participated in our previous experiments, were asked back to take part in this syntactic transfer experiment. Results indicated that a significant ERP component P600 occurred in the key region (the verb) of the sentences with syntactic violations in the experimental group, but none occurred in the control group. This demonstrated that there was a significant transfer effect of the input training. The possible theoretical explanation was provided and also the malleability of the late L2 learners was discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taiping Deng
- School of Marxism Studies, Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou, China
| | | | - Qing Feng
- College of Education, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, China
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Esfandiari L, Nilipour R, Nejati V, Maftoon P, Khosrowabadi R. An Event-related Potential Study of Second Language Semantic and Syntactic Processing: Evidence From the Declarative/Procedural Model. Basic Clin Neurosci 2021; 11:841-854. [PMID: 33850621 PMCID: PMC8019844 DOI: 10.32598/bcn.11.6.2401.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2020] [Revised: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: This study examined the effect of proficiency level on the second Language (L2) syntactic and semantic processing by addressing the role of procedural and declarative memory systems in light of the Declarative/Procedural (DP) model. The primary purpose was to determine to what extent proficiency accounts for native-like language processing in L2 in adult bilinguals who learned English (L2) after the age of 15 under explicit instruction. Methods: Using a mixed-method design and an oddball violation paradigm, we examined the functional neural correlates of syntactic and semantic processing in two groups of Persian-English bilinguals (L1=Persian, L2=English; N=10 high-proficient, N=10 pre-intermediate levels; Gender= Female; mean age=25.50 years, SD = 5.09 years, age range = 19–35 years of age) across 6 different conditions. They included a visual stimulus task of 240 English sentences with three different experimental conditions (violated regular past forms or phrase structure rules or final-word semantic violation) and three control conditions (sets of correct sentences for each experimental condition). Both groups started learning English late (age of onset=15+) and under an explicit learning context. To evaluate the effect of L2 proficiency, Event-related potentials (ERPs) to target words in each condition were elicited across the N400 time window (300–500 ms) and the P600 time window (500–700 ms). Results: Results showed different cortical responses in the two groups. Upon processing the violated forms, high-proficient subjects showed more native-like patterns of scalp activity in both lexical-semantic and syntactic processing. In contrast, less proficient learners have shown delayed onsets and or peaks of components, reduced amplitudes, or absent components in some regions. For instance, the difference in N400 amplitude for the incorrect regular past conditions was observed only in the pre-intermediate (PI) subjects in the O1 channel. This finding is compatible with the DP Model in that at lower levels of L2 proficiency, the participants show N400s or N400-like posterior negativities instead of Anterior Negativities (ANs). This finding shows the initial reliance on the declarative memory system for syntactic processing at lower levels of L2. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that attained proficiency was a more determinant factor in the L1-like cortical representation of L2 than the age of acquisition and or the type of instruction/context. Several brain areas, similar to those observed for L1, were activated during L2 syntactic processing in high-proficient subjects addressing their reliance on the procedural memory system for syntactic processing to gain more proficiency. For instance, our results showed a significant difference in N400 amplitude for the incorrect regular past conditions in O1 for the PI subjects, which shows the initial reliance on the declarative memory system for syntactic processing at lower levels of L2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laleh Esfandiari
- Department of Foreign Languages, Faculty of Literature, Humanities and Social Sciences, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Reza Nilipour
- Department of Speech Therapy, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Vahid Nejati
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Parviz Maftoon
- Department of Foreign Languages, Faculty of Literature, Humanities and Social Sciences, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Reza Khosrowabadi
- Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
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8
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Liberto GMD, Nie J, Yeaton J, Khalighinejad B, Shamma SA, Mesgarani N. Neural representation of linguistic feature hierarchy reflects second-language proficiency. Neuroimage 2020; 227:117586. [PMID: 33346131 PMCID: PMC8527895 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2020] [Revised: 11/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Acquiring a new language requires individuals to simultaneously and gradually learn linguistic attributes on multiple levels. Here, we investigated how this learning process changes the neural encoding of natural speech by assessing the encoding of the linguistic feature hierarchy in second-language listeners. Electroencephalography (EEG) signals were recorded from native Mandarin speakers with varied English proficiency and from native English speakers while they listened to audio-stories in English. We measured the temporal response functions (TRFs) for acoustic, phonemic, phonotactic, and semantic features in individual participants and found a main effect of proficiency on linguistic encoding. This effect of second-language proficiency was particularly prominent on the neural encoding of phonemes, showing stronger encoding of “new” phonemic contrasts (i.e., English contrasts that do not exist in Mandarin) with increasing proficiency. Overall, we found that the nonnative listeners with higher proficiency levels had a linguistic feature representation more similar to that of native listeners, which enabled the accurate decoding of language proficiency. This result advances our understanding of the cortical processing of linguistic information in second-language learners and provides an objective measure of language proficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni M Di Liberto
- Laboratoire des systèmes perceptifs, Département d'études cognitives, École normale supérieure, PSL University, CNRS, 75005 Paris, France.
| | - Jingping Nie
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, United States
| | - Jeremy Yeaton
- Laboratoire des systèmes perceptifs, Département d'études cognitives, École normale supérieure, PSL University, CNRS, 75005 Paris, France; Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive, UMR 7290, CNRS, France. Aix-Marseille Université, France
| | - Bahar Khalighinejad
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, United States
| | - Shihab A Shamma
- Laboratoire des systèmes perceptifs, Département d'études cognitives, École normale supérieure, PSL University, CNRS, 75005 Paris, France; Institute for Systems Research, Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, USA
| | - Nima Mesgarani
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, United States.
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9
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Functional reorganization of the reading network in the course of foreign language acquisition. Neuroimage 2020; 226:117544. [PMID: 33220408 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2020] [Revised: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
During foreign language acquisition neural representations of native language and foreign language assimilate. In the reading network, this assimilation leads to a shift from effortful processing to automated reading. Longitudinal studies can track this transition and reveal dynamics that might not become apparent in behavior. Here, we report results from a longitudinal functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, which tracked functional changes in the reading network of beginning learners of Greek over one year. We deliberately chose Greek as foreign language that would have similar orthographic transparency but a different alphabet than the native language (Polish). fMRI scans with lexical and semantic decision tasks were performed at five different time points (every ~3 months). Classical language areas (the left inferior frontal gyrus, the left precentral gyrus, and the bilateral supplementary motor cortex), and cognitive control areas (left inferior parietal lobe and bilateral anterior cingulate cortex) showed stronger activation after the first months of instruction as compared to the activation before instruction. This pattern occured in both tasks. Task-related activity in the reading network remained constant throughout the remaining 6 months of learning and was also present in a follow-up scan 3 months after the end of the course. A similar pattern was demonstrated by the analysis of convergence between foreign and native languages occurring within the first months of learning. Additionally, in the lexical task, the extent of spatial overlap, between foreign and native language in Broca's area increased constantly from the beginning till the end of training. Our findings support the notion that reorganization of language networks is achieved after a relatively short time of foreign language instruction. We also demonstrate that cognitive control areas are recruited in foreign language reading at low proficiency levels. No apparent changes in the foreign or native reading network occur after the initial 3 months of learning. This suggests that task demand might be more important than proficiency in regulating the resources needed for efficient foreign language reading.
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Danylkiv A, Krafnick AJ. A Meta-Analysis of Gray Matter Differences Between Bilinguals and Monolinguals. Front Hum Neurosci 2020; 14:146. [PMID: 32390815 PMCID: PMC7191056 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.00146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2019] [Accepted: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Bilingualism is of great interest to the neuroscience of language, and understanding the anatomical changes associated with second language learning help inform theories of bilingual advantage across the lifespan. While the literature on structural differences between bilinguals and monolinguals is robust, relatively few studies of gray matter (GM) have directly compared bilinguals with monolinguals in a whole-brain analysis. Overall, this and heterogeneity of study samples and methodology have led to a lack of clear anatomical support for major theories. Here, we engage in an activation likelihood estimate (ALE) meta-analysis of voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies of GM for cases that directly compare bilingual and monolingual subjects in a whole-brain analysis. The analysis (sixteen foci, from ten contrasts across eight studies) resulted in one cluster located primarily within the anterior lobe of the right cerebellum. However, when the one pediatric study was removed, the analysis revealed no consistent results across the studies included in this meta-analysis. This suggests that for VBM studies of bilingual and monolingual adults there is considerable heterogeneity of results that complicate the understanding of the bilingual brain. Future studies will need to include larger, more well-defined samples and interrogate more fine-grained anatomical features such as cortical thickness and surface area in order to more fully examine the anatomical changes associated with bilingualism across the lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasiya Danylkiv
- Psychology Department, Dominican University, River Forest, IL, United States
| | - Anthony J Krafnick
- Psychology Department, Dominican University, River Forest, IL, United States
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11
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Ehling R, Amprosi M, Kremmel B, Bsteh G, Eberharter K, Zehentner M, Steiger R, Tuovinen N, Gizewski ER, Benke T, Berger T, Spöttl C, Brenneis C, Scherfler C. Second language learning induces grey matter volume increase in people with multiple sclerosis. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0226525. [PMID: 31869402 PMCID: PMC6927643 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0226525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2019] [Accepted: 11/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Grey matter volume (GMV) decline is a frequent finding in multiple sclerosis (MS), the most common chronic neurological disease in young adults. Increases of GMV were detected in language related brain regions following second language (L2) learning in healthy adults. Effects of L2 learning in people with MS (pwMS) have not been investigated so far. Methods This study prospectively evaluated the potential of an eight-week L2 training on grey matter plasticity measured by 3T-MRI, L2 proficiency and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in people with relapsing-remitting MS (pwMS, n = 11) and healthy, sex- and age-matched controls (HCs; n = 12). Results Categorical voxel-based analysis revealed significantly less GMV bilaterally of the insula extending to the temporal pole in pwMS at baseline. Following L2 training, significant increases of GMV were evident in the right hippocampus, parahippocampus and putamen of pwMS and in the left insula of HCs. L2 training resulted in significant improvements of listening comprehension, speaking fluency and vocabulary knowledge in both pwMS and HCs. GMV increases of right hippocampus and parahippocampus significantly correlated with vocabulary knowledge gain and L2 learning was associated with a significant increase of HRQoL in pwMS. Conclusion Our findings demonstrate distinct patterns of GMV increases of language related brain regions in pwMS and HCs and indicate disease-related compensatory cortical and subcortical plasticity to acquire L2 proficiency in pwMS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rainer Ehling
- Department of Neurology, Clinic for Rehabilitation Münster, Münster, Austria
- Karl Landsteiner Institut für Interdisziplinäre Forschung am Reha Zentrum Münster, Münster, Austria
- Department of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
- * E-mail:
| | - Matthias Amprosi
- Department of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Benjamin Kremmel
- Language Testing Research Group Innsbruck, Department for Subject Specific Education, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Gabriel Bsteh
- Department of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Kathrin Eberharter
- Language Testing Research Group Innsbruck, Department for Subject Specific Education, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Matthias Zehentner
- Language Testing Research Group Innsbruck, Department for Subject Specific Education, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Ruth Steiger
- Department of Neuroradiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
- Neuroimaging Research Core Facility, Medical University Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Noora Tuovinen
- Department of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Elke R. Gizewski
- Department of Neuroradiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
- Neuroimaging Research Core Facility, Medical University Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Thomas Benke
- Department of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Thomas Berger
- Department of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Carol Spöttl
- Language Testing Research Group Innsbruck, Department for Subject Specific Education, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Christian Brenneis
- Department of Neurology, Clinic for Rehabilitation Münster, Münster, Austria
- Karl Landsteiner Institut für Interdisziplinäre Forschung am Reha Zentrum Münster, Münster, Austria
| | - Christoph Scherfler
- Department of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
- Neuroimaging Research Core Facility, Medical University Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
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12
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Del Maschio N, Fedeli D, Sulpizio S, Abutalebi J. The relationship between bilingual experience and gyrification in adulthood: A cross-sectional surface-based morphometry study. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2019; 198:104680. [PMID: 31465990 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2019.104680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2019] [Revised: 08/13/2019] [Accepted: 08/14/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Neuroimaging evidence suggests that bilingualism may act as a source of neural plasticity. However, prior work has mostly focused on bilingualism-induced alterations in gray matter volume and white matter tract microstructure, with additional effects related to other neurostructural indices that might have remained undetected. The degree of cortical folding or gyrification is a morphometric parameter which provides information about changes on the brain's surface during development, aging and disease. We used Surface-based Morphometry (SBM) to investigate the contribution of bilingual experience to gyrification from early adulthood to old age in a sample of bilinguals and monolingual controls. Despite widespread cortical folding reductions for all participants with increasing age, preserved gyrification exclusive to bilinguals was detected in the right cingulate and entorhinal cortices, regions vulnerable with normal and pathological brain aging. Our results provide novel insights on experience-related cortical reshaping and bilingualism-induced cortical plasticity in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Del Maschio
- Centre for Neurolinguistics and Psycholinguistics (CNPL), University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milano 20132, Italy
| | - Davide Fedeli
- Centre for Neurolinguistics and Psycholinguistics (CNPL), University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milano 20132, Italy
| | - Simone Sulpizio
- Centre for Neurolinguistics and Psycholinguistics (CNPL), University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milano 20132, Italy
| | - Jubin Abutalebi
- Centre for Neurolinguistics and Psycholinguistics (CNPL), University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milano 20132, Italy.
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13
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Predicting (variability of) context effects in language comprehension. JOURNAL OF CULTURAL COGNITIVE SCIENCE 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s41809-019-00025-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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14
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Deng T, Chen B. Input Training Matters in L2 Syntactic Representation Entrenchment: Evidence from a Follow-Up ERP Study. JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLINGUISTIC RESEARCH 2019; 48:729-745. [PMID: 30684118 DOI: 10.1007/s10936-019-09628-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The usage-based theory highlights the important role of linguistic input in language acquisition, and assumes that syntactic representations could be entrenched through usage or exposure. In the present study, we used the event-related potential technique to investigate the long-term effect of input training on second language (L2) syntactic representations entrenchment, using English subject-verb agreement structures as the stimuli. Results showed that 3 months after the training of the specific subject-verb agreement structures, a significant P600 was observed in the key region (the verb) of the sentences with syntactic violations in the experimental group, but not in the control group. This indicates that linguistic input training contributes to syntactic representations entrenchment, which can be sustained for a relatively long period, indicating a long-term effect of input training. The results suggest that linguistic input is a causal variable in L2 online syntactic processing, supporting the usage-based theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taiping Deng
- Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou, 310018, China
| | - Baoguo Chen
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
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15
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Firth J, Torous J, Stubbs B, Firth JA, Steiner GZ, Smith L, Alvarez-Jimenez M, Gleeson J, Vancampfort D, Armitage CJ, Sarris J. The "online brain": how the Internet may be changing our cognition. World Psychiatry 2019; 18:119-129. [PMID: 31059635 PMCID: PMC6502424 DOI: 10.1002/wps.20617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The impact of the Internet across multiple aspects of modern society is clear. However, the influence that it may have on our brain structure and functioning remains a central topic of investigation. Here we draw on recent psychological, psychiatric and neuroimaging findings to examine several key hypotheses on how the Internet may be changing our cognition. Specifically, we explore how unique features of the online world may be influencing: a) attentional capacities, as the constantly evolving stream of online information encourages our divided attention across multiple media sources, at the expense of sustained concentration; b) memory processes, as this vast and ubiquitous source of online information begins to shift the way we retrieve, store, and even value knowledge; and c) social cognition, as the ability for online social settings to resemble and evoke real-world social processes creates a new interplay between the Internet and our social lives, including our self-concepts and self-esteem. Overall, the available evidence indicates that the Internet can produce both acute and sustained alterations in each of these areas of cognition, which may be reflected in changes in the brain. However, an emerging priority for future research is to determine the effects of extensive online media usage on cognitive development in youth, and examine how this may differ from cognitive outcomes and brain impact of uses of Internet in the elderly. We conclude by proposing how Internet research could be integrated into broader research settings to study how this unprecedented new facet of society can affect our cognition and the brain across the life course.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Firth
- NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Westmead, Australia
- Division of Psychology and Mental Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - John Torous
- Division of Digital Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Brendon Stubbs
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Physiotherapy Department, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Josh A Firth
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Merton College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Genevieve Z Steiner
- NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Westmead, Australia
- Translational Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia
| | - Lee Smith
- Cambridge Centre for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK
| | - Mario Alvarez-Jimenez
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - John Gleeson
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- School of Psychology, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Davy Vancampfort
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- University Psychiatric Center, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Christopher J Armitage
- Division of Psychology and Mental Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
- NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK
- NIHR Greater Manchester Patient Safety Translational Research Centre, Manchester, UK
| | - Jerome Sarris
- NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Westmead, Australia
- Professorial Unit, The Melbourne Clinic, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Australia
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16
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Soman A, Madhavan CR, Sarkar K, Ganapathy S. An EEG study on the brain representations in language learning. Biomed Phys Eng Express 2019. [DOI: 10.1088/2057-1976/ab0243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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17
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Takahesu Tabori AA, Mech EN, Atagi N. Exploiting Language Variation to Better Understand the Cognitive Consequences of Bilingualism. Front Psychol 2018; 9:1686. [PMID: 30245660 PMCID: PMC6137614 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2018] [Accepted: 08/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Within the past decade, there has been an explosion of research investigating the cognitive consequences of bilingualism. However, a controversy has arisen specifically involving research claiming a "bilingual advantage" in executive function. In this brief review, we re-examine the nature of the "bilingual advantage" and suggest three themes for future research. First, there must be a theoretical account of how specific variation in language experience impacts aspects of executive function and domain general cognition. Second, efforts toward adequately characterizing the participants tested will be critical to interpreting results. Finally, designing studies that employ converging analytical approaches and sensitive methodologies will be important to advance our knowledge of the dynamics between bilingual language experience and cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Natsuki Atagi
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States
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18
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Tanner D, Goldshtein M, Weissman B. Individual Differences in the Real-Time Neural Dynamics of Language Comprehension. PSYCHOLOGY OF LEARNING AND MOTIVATION 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.plm.2018.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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19
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Leckey M, Federmeier KD. Age-related shifts in hemispheric dominance for syntactic processing. Psychophysiology 2017; 54:1929-1939. [PMID: 28752584 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.12970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2016] [Revised: 06/28/2017] [Accepted: 06/29/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Recent ERP data from young adults have revealed that simple syntactic anomalies elicit different patterns of lateralization in right-handed participants depending upon their familial sinistrality profile (whether or not they have left-handed biological relatives). Right-handed participants who do not have left-handed relatives showed a strongly lateralized response pattern, with P600 responses following left-hemisphere-biased presentations and N400 responses following right-hemisphere-biased presentations. Given that the literature on aging has documented a tendency to change across adulthood from asymmetry of function to a more bilateral pattern, we tested the stability of this asymmetric response to syntactic violations by recording ERPs as 24 older adults (age 60+) with no history of familial sinistrality made grammaticality judgments on simple two-word phrases. Results showed that the asymmetric pattern observed in right-handed adults without familial sinistrality indeed changes with age, such that P600 responses come to be elicited not only with left-hemisphere-biased but also with right-hemisphere-biased presentations in older adults. These findings suggest that, as with many other cognitive functions, syntactic processing becomes more bilateral with age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle Leckey
- Psychology Department, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, USA
| | - Kara D Federmeier
- Psychology Department, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, USA
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20
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Carrasco-Ortíz H, Velázquez Herrera A, Jackson-Maldonado D, Avecilla Ramírez GN, Silva Pereyra J, Wicha NYY. The role of language similarity in processing second language morphosyntax: Evidence from ERPs. Int J Psychophysiol 2017; 117:91-110. [PMID: 28456582 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2017.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2016] [Revised: 03/30/2017] [Accepted: 04/24/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
This study investigated the role of L1-L2 morphosyntactic similarity in L2 learners of French. In two experiments, we manipulated the grammatical gender agreement between an adjective and noun in a sentence context. The noun either shared lexical gender across Spanish and French (Experiment 1) or did not (Experiment 2). ERPs were collected from beginner Spanish-speaking learners of French and native French speakers while they read sentences in French. The results for the native speakers revealed a P600 effect on gender agreement violations irrespective of lexical gender overlap across languages. L2 learners exhibited a negativity in the N400 time window in response to gender agreement violations that involved nouns with the same gender in their L1 and L2 (Experiments 1 and 2), whereas no difference was observed to gender agreement violations that involved nouns with contradictory gender across languages (Experiment 2). These results suggest that L2 learners at low levels of L2 proficiency rely on their L1 lexical gender system to detect gender agreement errors in L2, but engage different neurocognitive mechanisms to process similar L2 morphosyntactic knowledge.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Juan Silva Pereyra
- Proyecto de Neurociencias, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, UNAM, Mexico
| | - Nicole Y Y Wicha
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA; Neurosciences Institute, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA; Research Imaging Institute, UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
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21
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Byers E, Yavas M. Vowel reduction in word-final position by early and late Spanish-English bilinguals. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0175226. [PMID: 28384234 PMCID: PMC5383264 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0175226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2016] [Accepted: 03/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Vowel reduction is a prominent feature of American English, as well as other stress-timed languages. As a phonological process, vowel reduction neutralizes multiple vowel quality contrasts in unstressed syllables. For bilinguals whose native language is not characterized by large spectral and durational differences between tonic and atonic vowels, systematically reducing unstressed vowels to the central vowel space can be problematic. Failure to maintain this pattern of stressed-unstressed syllables in American English is one key element that contributes to a "foreign accent" in second language speakers. Reduced vowels, or "schwas," have also been identified as particularly vulnerable to the co-articulatory effects of adjacent consonants. The current study examined the effects of adjacent sounds on the spectral and temporal qualities of schwa in word-final position. Three groups of English-speaking adults were tested: Miami-based monolingual English speakers, early Spanish-English bilinguals, and late Spanish-English bilinguals. Subjects performed a reading task to examine their schwa productions in fluent speech when schwas were preceded by consonants from various points of articulation. Results indicated that monolingual English and late Spanish-English bilingual groups produced targeted vowel qualities for schwa, whereas early Spanish-English bilinguals lacked homogeneity in their vowel productions. This extends prior claims that schwa is targetless for F2 position for native speakers to highly-proficient bilingual speakers. Though spectral qualities lacked homogeneity for early Spanish-English bilinguals, early bilinguals produced schwas with near native-like vowel duration. In contrast, late bilinguals produced schwas with significantly longer durations than English monolinguals or early Spanish-English bilinguals. Our results suggest that the temporal properties of a language are better integrated into second language phonologies than spectral qualities. Finally, we examined the role of nonstructural variables (e.g. linguistic history measures) in predicting native-like vowel duration. These factors included: Age of L2 learning, amount of L1 use, and self-reported bilingual dominance. Our results suggested that different sociolinguistic factors predicted native-like reduced vowel duration than predicted native-like vowel qualities across multiple phonetic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Byers
- Linguistics Program, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, United States of America
| | - Mehmet Yavas
- Linguistics Program, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, United States of America
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22
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Potter CE, Wang T, Saffran JR. Second Language Experience Facilitates Statistical Learning of Novel Linguistic Materials. Cogn Sci 2017; 41 Suppl 4:913-927. [PMID: 27988939 PMCID: PMC5407950 DOI: 10.1111/cogs.12473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2016] [Revised: 10/05/2016] [Accepted: 11/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Recent research has begun to explore individual differences in statistical learning, and how those differences may be related to other cognitive abilities, particularly their effects on language learning. In this research, we explored a different type of relationship between language learning and statistical learning: the possibility that learning a new language may also influence statistical learning by changing the regularities to which learners are sensitive. We tested two groups of participants, Mandarin Learners and Naïve Controls, at two time points, 6 months apart. At each time point, participants performed two different statistical learning tasks: an artificial tonal language statistical learning task and a visual statistical learning task. Only the Mandarin-learning group showed significant improvement on the linguistic task, whereas both groups improved equally on the visual task. These results support the view that there are multiple influences on statistical learning. Domain-relevant experiences may affect the regularities that learners can discover when presented with novel stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine E. Potter
- Department of Psychology and Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin – Madison
| | - Tianlin Wang
- Department of Psychology and Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin – Madison
| | - Jenny R. Saffran
- Department of Psychology and Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin – Madison
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23
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Yusa N, Kim J, Koizumi M, Sugiura M, Kawashima R. Social Interaction Affects Neural Outcomes of Sign Language Learning As a Foreign Language in Adults. Front Hum Neurosci 2017; 11:115. [PMID: 28408872 PMCID: PMC5374197 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2016] [Accepted: 02/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Children naturally acquire a language in social contexts where they interact with their caregivers. Indeed, research shows that social interaction facilitates lexical and phonological development at the early stages of child language acquisition. It is not clear, however, whether the relationship between social interaction and learning applies to adult second language acquisition of syntactic rules. Does learning second language syntactic rules through social interactions with a native speaker or without such interactions impact behavior and the brain? The current study aims to answer this question. Adult Japanese participants learned a new foreign language, Japanese sign language (JSL), either through a native deaf signer or via DVDs. Neural correlates of acquiring new linguistic knowledge were investigated using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The participants in each group were indistinguishable in terms of their behavioral data after the instruction. The fMRI data, however, revealed significant differences in the neural activities between two groups. Significant activations in the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) were found for the participants who learned JSL through interactions with the native signer. In contrast, no cortical activation change in the left IFG was found for the group who experienced the same visual input for the same duration via the DVD presentation. Given that the left IFG is involved in the syntactic processing of language, spoken or signed, learning through social interactions resulted in an fMRI signature typical of native speakers: activation of the left IFG. Thus, broadly speaking, availability of communicative interaction is necessary for second language acquisition and this results in observed changes in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noriaki Yusa
- Department of English, Miyagi Gakuin Women's UniversitySendai, Japan
| | - Jungho Kim
- Department of Foreign Languages, Kyoto Women's UniversityKyoto, Japan
| | | | - Motoaki Sugiura
- Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku UniversitySendai, Japan
| | - Ryuta Kawashima
- Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku UniversitySendai, Japan
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24
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Ware C, Damnee S, Djabelkhir L, Cristancho V, Wu YH, Benovici J, Pino M, Rigaud AS. Maintaining Cognitive Functioning in Healthy Seniors with a Technology-Based Foreign Language Program: A Pilot Feasibility Study. Front Aging Neurosci 2017; 9:42. [PMID: 28298892 PMCID: PMC5331045 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2017.00042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2016] [Accepted: 02/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Researchers have hypothesized that learning a foreign language could be beneficial for seniors, as language learning requires the use of extensive neural networks. We developed and qualitatively evaluated an English training program for older French adults; our principal objective was to determine whether a program integrating technology is feasible for this population. We conducted a 4-month pilot study (16, 2-h sessions) with 14 French participants, (nine women, five men, average age 75). Questionnaires were administered pre- and post-intervention to measure cognitive level and subjective feelings of loneliness or social isolation; however, these scores did not improve significantly. Post-intervention, semi-directive interviews were carried out with participants, and a content/theme analysis was performed. Five main themes were identified from the interviews: Associations with school, attitudes toward English, motivation for learning English, attitudes toward the program’s organization, and social ties. The program was found to be feasible for this age group, yet perceived as quite difficult for participants who lacked experience with English. Nonetheless, most participants found the program to be stimulating and enjoyable. We discuss different suggestions for future programs and future directions for foreign-language learning as a therapeutic and cognitive intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin Ware
- Department of Psychoanalytical Studies, University of Paris VII Diderot Paris, France
| | - Souad Damnee
- Department of Clinical Gerontology, Broca Hospital Paris, France
| | - Leila Djabelkhir
- Department of Clinical Gerontology, Broca HospitalParis, France; Faculty of Medicine, University of Paris DescartesParis, France
| | - Victoria Cristancho
- Department of Clinical Gerontology, Broca HospitalParis, France; Faculty of Medicine, University of Paris DescartesParis, France
| | - Ya-Huei Wu
- Department of Clinical Gerontology, Broca HospitalParis, France; Faculty of Medicine, University of Paris DescartesParis, France
| | - Judith Benovici
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Paris Descartes Paris, France
| | - Maribel Pino
- Department of Clinical Gerontology, Broca HospitalParis, France; Faculty of Medicine, University of Paris DescartesParis, France
| | - Anne-Sophie Rigaud
- Department of Clinical Gerontology, Broca HospitalParis, France; Faculty of Medicine, University of Paris DescartesParis, France
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Kasparian K, Vespignani F, Steinhauer K. First Language Attrition Induces Changes in Online Morphosyntactic Processing and Re-Analysis: An ERP Study of Number Agreement in Complex Italian Sentences. Cogn Sci 2016; 41:1760-1803. [PMID: 27868225 PMCID: PMC5638100 DOI: 10.1111/cogs.12450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2016] [Revised: 06/12/2016] [Accepted: 07/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
First language (L1) attrition in adulthood offers new insight on neuroplasticity and the role of language experience in shaping neurocognitive responses to language. Attriters are multilinguals for whom advancing L2 proficiency comes at the cost of the L1, as they experience a shift in exposure and dominance (e.g., due to immigration). To date, the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying L1 attrition are largely unexplored. Using event‐related potentials (ERPs), we examined L1‐Italian grammatical processing in 24 attriters and 30 Italian native‐controls. We assessed whether (a) attriters differed from non‐attriting native speakers in their online detection and re‐analysis/repair of number agreement violations, and whether (b) differences in processing were modulated by L1‐proficiency. To test both local and non‐local agreement violations, we manipulated agreement between three inflected constituents and examined ERP responses on two of these (subject, verb, modifier). Our findings revealed group differences in amplitude, scalp distribution, and duration of LAN/N400 + P600 effects. We discuss these differences as reflecting influence of attriters’ L2‐English, as well as shallower online sentence repair processes than in non‐attriting native speakers. ERP responses were also predicted by L1‐Italian proficiency scores, with smaller N400/P600 amplitudes in lower proficiency individuals. Proficiency only modulated P600 amplitude between 650 and 900 ms, whereas the late P600 (beyond 900 ms) depended on group membership and amount of L1 exposure within attriters. Our study is the first to show qualitative and quantitative differences in ERP responses in attriters compared to non‐attriting native speakers. Our results also emphasize that proficiency predicts language processing profiles, even in native‐speakers, and that the P600 should not be considered a monolithic component.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina Kasparian
- School of Communication Sciences & Disorders, McGill University.,Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music (CRBLM), McGill University
| | | | - Karsten Steinhauer
- School of Communication Sciences & Disorders, McGill University.,Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music (CRBLM), McGill University
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Pu H, Holcomb PJ, Midgley KJ. Neural changes underlying early stages of L2 vocabulary acquisition. JOURNAL OF NEUROLINGUISTICS 2016; 40:55-65. [PMID: 28983152 PMCID: PMC5625355 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneuroling.2016.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Research has shown neural changes following second language (L2) acquisition after weeks or months of instruction. But are such changes detectable even earlier than previously shown? The present study examines the electrophysiological changes underlying the earliest stages of second language vocabulary acquisition by recording event-related potentials (ERPs) within the first week of learning. Adult native English speakers with no previous Spanish experience completed less than four hours of Spanish vocabulary training, with pre- and post-training ERPs recorded to a backward translation task. Results indicate that beginning L2 learners show rapid neural changes following learning, manifested in changes to the N400 - an ERP component sensitive to lexicosemantic processing and degree of L2 proficiency. Specifically, learners in early stages of L2 acquisition show growth in N400 amplitude to L2 words following learning as well as a backward translation N400 priming effect that was absent pre-training. These results were shown within days of minimal L2 training, suggesting that the neural changes captured during adult second language acquisition are more rapid than previously shown. Such findings are consistent with models of early stages of bilingualism in adult learners of L2 (e.g. Kroll and Stewart's RHM) and reinforce the use of ERP measures to assess L2 learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- He Pu
- Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Phillip J. Holcomb
- Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
- San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, USA
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27
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Ma T, Chen R, Dunlap S, Chen B. The Effect of Number and Presentation Order of High-Constraint Sentences on Second Language Word Learning. Front Psychol 2016; 7:1396. [PMID: 27695432 PMCID: PMC5024562 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2016] [Accepted: 08/31/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper presents the results of an experiment that investigated the effects of number and presentation order of high-constraint sentences on semantic processing of unknown second language (L2) words (pseudowords) through reading. All participants were Chinese native speakers who learned English as a foreign language. In the experiment, sentence constraint and order of different constraint sentences were manipulated in English sentences, as well as L2 proficiency level of participants. We found that the number of high-constraint sentences was supportive for L2 word learning except in the condition in which high-constraint exposure was presented first. Moreover, when the number of high-constraint sentences was the same, learning was significantly better when the first exposure was a high-constraint exposure. And no proficiency level effects were found. Our results provided direct evidence that L2 word learning benefited from high quality language input and first presentations of high quality language input.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tengfei Ma
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, School of Psychology, Beijing Normal UniversityBeijing, China; State Key Lab of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal UniversityBeijing, China; Department of Education Management, School of Education, The Open University of ChinaBeijing, China
| | - Ran Chen
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University Beijing, China
| | - Susan Dunlap
- Children's Learning Institute, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Houston, TX, USA
| | - Baoguo Chen
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, School of Psychology, Beijing Normal UniversityBeijing, China; State Key Lab of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal UniversityBeijing, China
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28
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Lesage E, Nailer EL, Miall RC. Cerebellar BOLD signal during the acquisition of a new lexicon predicts its early consolidation. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2016; 161:33-44. [PMID: 26303580 PMCID: PMC5066914 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2015.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2014] [Revised: 07/04/2015] [Accepted: 07/10/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Cerebellar contributions to language are presently poorly understood, but it has been argued that the cerebellar role in motor learning can be extended to learning in cognitive and linguistic domains. Here, we used fMRI to investigate whether the cerebellum is recruited in mapping novel words onto existing semantic concepts. On separate days, participants performed a Basque vocabulary learning task and a control English synonym task in the MRI scanner. Learning-related BOLD activity was found in left inferior frontal gyrus, bilateral insula, pre-SMA, left superior parietal cortex, right caudate, the right cerebellar vermis and right cerebellar Crus II. The extent to which the cerebellar regions, but not the cerebral areas, were recruited during learning correlated positively with participants' off-line improvement in performance after the learning task. These data provide evidence for a cerebellar role in lexical learning, and suggest that the right cerebellum may contribute toward consolidation of lexico-semantic associations in the language network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise Lesage
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, UK; Neuroimaging Research Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Emma L Nailer
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, UK; School of Education, University of Birmingham, UK
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29
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Temporal dynamics of early visual word processing – Early versus late N1 sensitivity in children and adults. Neuropsychologia 2016; 91:509-518. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2016.09.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2016] [Revised: 09/16/2016] [Accepted: 09/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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30
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Jokel R, Kielar A, Anderson ND, Black SE, Rochon E, Graham S, Freedman M, Tang-Wai DF. Behavioural and neuroimaging changes after naming therapy for semantic variant primary progressive aphasia. Neuropsychologia 2016; 89:191-216. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2016.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2015] [Revised: 06/08/2016] [Accepted: 06/09/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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31
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Rossi E, Diaz MT. How aging and bilingualism influence language processing: theoretical and neural models. LINGUISTIC APPROACHES TO BILINGUALISM 2016; 6:9-42. [PMID: 28919933 PMCID: PMC5600288 DOI: 10.1075/lab.14029.ros] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Healthy non-pathological aging is characterized by cognitive and neural decline, and although language is one of the more stable areas of cognition, older adults often show deficits in language production, showing word finding failures, increased slips of the tongue, and increased pauses in speech. Overall, research on language comprehension in older healthy adults show that it is more preserved than language production. Bilingualism has been shown to confer a great deal of neuroplasticity across the life span, including a number of cognitive benefits especially in executive functions such as cognitive control. Many models of bilingual language processing have been proposed to explain bilingual language processing. However, the question remains open of how such models might be modulated by age-related changes in language. Here, we discuss how current models of language processing in non-pathological aging, and models of bilingual language processing can be integrated to provide new research directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Rossi
- California State Polytechnic University, Pomona; Pomona, CA, USA
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32
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Xiang H, van Leeuwen TM, Dediu D, Roberts L, Norris DG, Hagoort P. L2-Proficiency-Dependent Laterality Shift in Structural Connectivity of Brain Language Pathways. Brain Connect 2015; 5:349-61. [DOI: 10.1089/brain.2013.0199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Huadong Xiang
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Tessa Marije van Leeuwen
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Dan Dediu
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Leah Roberts
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - David G. Norris
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Erwin L. Hahn Institute for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Essen, Germany
- MIRA Institute for Biomedical Technology and Technical Medicine, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Peter Hagoort
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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33
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Ma T, Chen B, Lu C, Dunlap S. Proficiency and sentence constraint effects on second language word learning. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2015; 159:116-22. [PMID: 26094128 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2015.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2014] [Revised: 05/23/2015] [Accepted: 05/25/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper presents an experiment that investigated the effects of L2 proficiency and sentence constraint on semantic processing of unknown L2 words (pseudowords). All participants were Chinese native speakers who learned English as a second language. In the experiment, we used a whole sentence presentation paradigm with a delayed semantic relatedness judgment task. Both higher and lower-proficiency L2 learners could make use of the high-constraint sentence context to judge the meaning of novel pseudowords, and higher-proficiency L2 learners outperformed lower-proficiency L2 learners in all conditions. These results demonstrate that both L2 proficiency and sentence constraint affect subsequent word learning among second language learners. We extended L2 word learning into a sentence context, replicated the sentence constraint effects previously found among native speakers, and found proficiency effects in L2 word learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tengfei Ma
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; State Key Lab of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; School of Education, The Open University of China, Beijing 100039, China
| | - Baoguo Chen
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; State Key Lab of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
| | - Chunming Lu
- State Key Lab of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Susan Dunlap
- Children's Learning Institute, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, United States
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34
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Deng T, Zhou H, Bi HY, Chen B. Input-based structure-specific proficiency predicts the neural mechanism of adult L2 syntactic processing. Brain Res 2015; 1610:42-50. [PMID: 25838243 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2015.03.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2014] [Revised: 02/16/2015] [Accepted: 03/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
This study used Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) to explore the role of input-based structure-specific proficiency in L2 syntactic processing, using English subject-verb agreement structures as the stimuli. A pre-test/trainings/post-test paradigm of experimental and control groups was employed, and Chinese speakers who learned English as a second language (L2) participated in the experiment. At pre-test, no ERP component related to the subject-verb agreement structures violations was observed in either group. At training session, the experimental group learned the subject-verb agreement structures, while the control group learned other syntactic structures. After two continuously intensive input trainings, at post-test, a significant P600 component related to the subject-verb agreement structures violations was elicited in the experimental group, but not in the control group. These findings suggest that input training improves structure-specific proficiency, which is reflected in the neural mechanism of L2 syntactic processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taiping Deng
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Zhejiang University of Finance & Economics, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Huixia Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Hong-Yan Bi
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Baoguo Chen
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
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35
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Kaiser A, Eppenberger LS, Smieskova R, Borgwardt S, Kuenzli E, Radue EW, Nitsch C, Bendfeldt K. Age of second language acquisition in multilinguals has an impact on gray matter volume in language-associated brain areas. Front Psychol 2015; 6:638. [PMID: 26106338 PMCID: PMC4458568 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2014] [Accepted: 05/01/2015] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Numerous structural studies have established that experience shapes and reshapes the brain throughout a lifetime. The impact of early development, however, is still a matter of debate. Further clues may come from studying multilinguals who acquired their second language at different ages. We investigated adult multilinguals who spoke three languages fluently, where the third language was learned in classroom settings, not before the age of 9 years. Multilinguals exposed to two languages simultaneously from birth (SiM) were contrasted with multinguals who acquired their first two languages successively (SuM). Whole brain voxel based morphometry revealed that, relative to SuM, SiM have significantly lower gray matter volume in several language-associated cortical areas in both hemispheres: bilaterally in medial and inferior frontal gyrus, in the right medial temporal gyrus and inferior posterior parietal gyrus, as well as in the left inferior temporal gyrus. Thus, as shown by others, successive language learning increases the volume of language-associated cortical areas. In brains exposed early on and simultaneously to more than one language, however, learning of additional languages seems to have less impact. We conclude that – at least with respect to language acquisition – early developmental influences are maintained and have an effect on experience-dependent plasticity well into adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anelis Kaiser
- Department of Social Psychology and Social Neuroscience, Institute of Psychology, University of Bern, Bern Switzerland
| | | | - Renata Smieskova
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel Switzerland
| | - Stefan Borgwardt
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel Switzerland
| | - Esther Kuenzli
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Basel, Basel Switzerland
| | | | - Cordula Nitsch
- Department of Biomedicine, Institute of Anatomy, University of Basel, Basel Switzerland
| | - Kerstin Bendfeldt
- Medical Image Analysis Centre, University Hospital Basel, Basel Switzerland
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36
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Lee CL, Federmeier KD. It's All in the Family: Brain Asymmetry and Syntactic Processing of Word Class. Psychol Sci 2015; 26:997-1005. [PMID: 25963616 DOI: 10.1177/0956797615575743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2014] [Accepted: 02/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Although left-hemisphere (LH) specialization for language is often viewed as a key example of functional lateralization, there is increasing evidence that the right hemisphere (RH) can also extract meaning from words and sentences. However, the right hemisphere's ability to appreciate syntactic aspects of language remains poorly understood. In the current study, we used separable, functionally well-characterized electrophysiological indices of lexico-semantic and syntactic processes to demonstrate RH sensitivity to syntactic violations among right-handers with a strong manual preference. Critically, however, the nature of this RH sensitivity to structural information was modulated by a genetically determined factor--familial sinistrality. The right hemisphere in right-handers without left-handed family members processed syntactic violations via the words' accompanying lexico-semantic unexpectedness. In contrast, the right hemisphere in right-handers with left-handed family members could process syntactic information in a manner qualitatively similar to that of the left hemisphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chia-lin Lee
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois Graduate Institute of Linguistics, National Taiwan University Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, National Taiwan University Neurobiology and Cognitive Neuroscience Center, National Taiwan University
| | - Kara D Federmeier
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois The Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois
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37
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Caffarra S, Molinaro N, Davidson D, Carreiras M. Second language syntactic processing revealed through event-related potentials: An empirical review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2015; 51:31-47. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2014] [Revised: 01/09/2015] [Accepted: 01/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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38
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Complex brain network properties in late L2 learners and native speakers. Neuropsychologia 2015; 68:209-17. [PMID: 25598315 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2015.01.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2014] [Revised: 01/12/2015] [Accepted: 01/14/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Whether the neural mechanisms that underlie the processing of a second language in highly proficient late bilinguals (L2 late learners) are similar or not to those that underlie the processing of the first language (L1) is still an issue under debate. In this study, a group of late learners of Spanish whose native language is English and a group of Spanish monolinguals were compared while they read sentences, some of which contained syntactic violations. A brain complex network analysis approach was used to assess the time-varying topological properties of the functional networks extracted from the electroencephalography (EEG) recording. Late L2 learners showed a lower degree of parallel information transfer and a slower propagation between regions of the brain functional networks while processing sentences containing a gender mismatch condition as compared with a standard sentence configuration. In contrast, no such differences between these conditions were detected in the Spanish monolinguals. This indicates that when a morphosyntactic language incongruence that does not exist in the native language is presented in the second language, the neural activation pattern is configured differently in highly proficient late bilinguals than in monolinguals.
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39
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Morgan-Short K, Faretta-Stutenberg M, Bartlett-Hsu L. Contributions of event-related potential research to issues in explicit and implicit second language acquisition. IMPLICIT AND EXPLICIT LEARNING OF LANGUAGES 2015. [DOI: 10.1075/sibil.48.15mor] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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40
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Krizman J, Slater J, Skoe E, Marian V, Kraus N. Neural processing of speech in children is influenced by extent of bilingual experience. Neurosci Lett 2014; 585:48-53. [PMID: 25445377 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2014.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2014] [Revised: 10/30/2014] [Accepted: 11/07/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Language experience fine-tunes how the auditory system processes sound. Bilinguals, relative to monolinguals, have more robust evoked responses to speech that manifest as stronger neural encoding of the fundamental frequency (F0) and greater across-trial consistency. However, it is unknown whether such enhancements increase with increasing second language experience. We predict that F0 amplitude and neural consistency scale with dual-language experience during childhood, such that more years of bilingual experience leads to more robust F0 encoding and greater neural consistency. To test this hypothesis, we recorded auditory brainstem responses to the synthesized syllables 'ba' and 'ga' in two groups of bilingual children who were matched for age at test (8.4 ± 0.67 years) but differed in their age of second language acquisition. One group learned English and Spanish simultaneously from birth (n=13), while the second group learned the two languages sequentially (n=15), spending on average their first four years as monolingual Spanish speakers. We find that simultaneous bilinguals have a larger F0 response to 'ba' and 'ga' and a more consistent response to 'ba' compared to sequential bilinguals and we demonstrate that these neural enhancements track with years of bilingual experience. These findings support the notion that bilingualism enhances subcortical auditory processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Krizman
- Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory, Evanston, IL, USA(2); Bilingualism and Psycholinguistics Research Group, Evanston, IL, USA; Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Evanston, IL, USA; Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Jessica Slater
- Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory, Evanston, IL, USA(2); Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Evanston, IL, USA; Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Erika Skoe
- Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory, Evanston, IL, USA(2); Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Evanston, IL, USA; Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Viorica Marian
- Bilingualism and Psycholinguistics Research Group, Evanston, IL, USA; Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Evanston, IL, USA; Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Nina Kraus
- Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory, Evanston, IL, USA(2); Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Evanston, IL, USA; Institute for Neuroscience, Evanston, IL, USA; Department of Neurobiology and Physiology, Evanston, IL, USA; Department of Otolaryngology, Evanston, IL, USA; Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
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41
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Stein M, Winkler C, Kaiser A, Dierks T. Structural brain changes related to bilingualism: does immersion make a difference? Front Psychol 2014; 5:1116. [PMID: 25324816 PMCID: PMC4183087 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2014] [Accepted: 09/15/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Within the field of neuroscientific research on second language learning, considerable attention has been devoted to functional and recently also structural changes related to second language acquisition. The present literature review summarizes studies that investigated structural changes related to bilingualism. Furthermore, as recent evidence has suggested that native-like exposure to a second language (i.e., a naturalistic learning setting or immersion) considerably impacts second language learning, all findings are reflected with respect to the learning environment. Aggregating the existing evidence, we conclude that structural changes in left inferior frontal and inferior parietal regions have been observed in studies on cortical gray matter changes, while the anterior parts of the corpus callosum have been repeatedly found to reflect bilingualism in studies on white matter (WM) connectivity. Regarding the learning environment, no cortical alterations can be attributed specifically to naturalistic or classroom learning. With regard to WM changes, one might tentatively propose that changes in IFOF and SLF are possibly more prominently observed in studies investigating bilinguals with a naturalistic learning experience. However, future studies are needed to replicate and strengthen the existing evidence and to directly test the impact of naturalistic exposure on structural brain plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Stein
- Department of Psychiatric Neurophysiology, University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern Bern, Switzerland ; Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology, University of Bern Bern, Switzerland ; Center for Cognition, Learning and Memory, University of Bern Bern, Switzerland
| | - Carmen Winkler
- Department of Psychiatric Neurophysiology, University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern Bern, Switzerland
| | - Anelis Kaiser
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology, University of Bern Bern, Switzerland ; Department of Social Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Bern Bern, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Dierks
- Department of Psychiatric Neurophysiology, University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern Bern, Switzerland ; Center for Cognition, Learning and Memory, University of Bern Bern, Switzerland
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42
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Rossi E, Kroll JF, Dussias PE. Clitic pronouns reveal the time course of processing gender and number in a second language. Neuropsychologia 2014; 62:11-25. [PMID: 25036762 PMCID: PMC4167495 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2014.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2014] [Revised: 07/03/2014] [Accepted: 07/07/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
This study investigates grammatical gender and number processing marked on clitic pronouns in native Spanish speakers and in late English-Spanish bilinguals using ERPs. Spanish clitic pronouns were chosen as a critical grammatical structure which is absent in English, and which encodes both grammatical gender and number. Number, but not grammatical gender, is present in English, making this structure a prime one to investigate second language processing. Results reveal a P600 effect in native speakers for violations of both gender and number. Late but relatively proficient English-Spanish bilinguals show a P600 effect only for number violations occurring at the clitic pronoun, but not for gender violations. However a post-hoc analysis reveals that a subset of highly proficient late bilinguals does reveal sensitivity to violations of grammatical gender marked on clitic pronouns. Taken together these results suggest that native-like processing is possible for highly proficient late second language learners for grammatical features that are not present in the speakers' native language, even when those features are encoded on a grammatical morpheme which itself is absent in the speakers' native language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Rossi
- Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, Moore Building, University Park, PA 16802-3104, USA; Center for Language Science, Pennsylvania State University, USA.
| | - Judith F Kroll
- Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, Moore Building, University Park, PA 16802-3104, USA; Center for Language Science, Pennsylvania State University, USA.
| | - Paola E Dussias
- Center for Language Science, Pennsylvania State University, USA; Department of Spanish, Italian, & Portuguese, Pennsylvania State University, USA.
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Batterink L, Neville HJ. ERPs recorded during early second language exposure predict syntactic learning. J Cogn Neurosci 2014; 26:2005-20. [PMID: 24666165 PMCID: PMC4334461 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Millions of adults worldwide are faced with the task of learning a second language (L2). Understanding the neural mechanisms that support this learning process is an important area of scientific inquiry. However, most previous studies on the neural mechanisms underlying L2 acquisition have focused on characterizing the results of learning, relying upon end-state outcome measures in which learning is assessed after it has occurred, rather than on the learning process itself. In this study, we adopted a novel and more direct approach to investigate neural mechanisms engaged during L2 learning, in which we recorded ERPs from beginning adult learners as they were exposed to an unfamiliar L2 for the first time. Learners' proficiency in the L2 was then assessed behaviorally using a grammaticality judgment task, and ERP data acquired during initial L2 exposure were sorted as a function of performance on this task. High-proficiency learners showed a larger N100 effect to open-class content words compared with closed-class function words, whereas low-proficiency learners did not show a significant N100 difference between open- and closed-class words. In contrast, amplitude of the N400 word category effect correlated with learners' L2 comprehension, rather than predicting syntactic learning. Taken together, these results indicate that learners who spontaneously direct greater attention to open- rather than closed-class words when processing L2 input show better syntactic learning, suggesting a link between selective attention to open-class content words and acquisition of basic morphosyntactic rules. These findings highlight the importance of selective attention mechanisms for L2 acquisition.
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Kielar A, Meltzer JA, Moreno S, Alain C, Bialystok E. Oscillatory responses to semantic and syntactic violations. J Cogn Neurosci 2014; 26:2840-62. [PMID: 24893735 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
EEG studies employing time-frequency analysis have revealed changes in theta and alpha power in a variety of language and memory tasks. Semantic and syntactic violations embedded in sentences evoke well-known ERPs, but little is known about the oscillatory responses to these violations. We investigated oscillatory responses to both kinds of violations, while monolingual and bilingual participants performed an acceptability judgment task. Both violations elicited power decreases (event-related desynchronization, ERD) in the 8-30 Hz frequency range, but with different scalp topographies. In addition, semantic anomalies elicited power increases (event-related synchronization, ERS) in the 1-5 Hz frequency band. The 1-5 Hz ERS was strongly phase-locked to stimulus onset and highly correlated with time domain averages, whereas the 8-30 Hz ERD response varied independently of these. In addition, the results showed that language expertise modulated 8-30 Hz ERD for syntactic violations as a function of the executive demands of the task. When the executive function demands were increased using a grammaticality judgment task, bilinguals but not monolinguals demonstrated reduced 8-30 Hz ERD for syntactic violations. These findings suggest a putative role of the 8-30 Hz ERD response as a marker of linguistic processing that likely represents a separate neural process from those underlying ERPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aneta Kielar
- Rotman Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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45
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Ng S, Gonzalez C, Wicha NYY. The fox and the cabra: an ERP analysis of reading code switched nouns and verbs in bilingual short stories. Brain Res 2014; 1557:127-40. [PMID: 24530431 PMCID: PMC3982600 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2014.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2013] [Revised: 01/29/2014] [Accepted: 02/04/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Comprehending a language (or code) switch within a sentence context triggers 2 electrophysiological signatures: an early left anterior negativity post code switch onset - a LAN - followed by a Late Positive Component (LPC). Word class and word position modulate lexico-semantic processes in the monolingual brain, e.g., larger N400 amplitude for nouns than verbs and for earlier than later words in the sentence. Here we test whether the bilingual brain is affected by word class and word position when code switching, or if the cost of switching overrides these lexico-semantic and sentence context factors. Adult bilinguals read short stories in English containing 8 target words. Targets were nouns or verbs, occurred early or late in a story and were presented alternately in English (non-switch) or Spanish (switch) across different story versions. Overall, switched words elicited larger LAN and LPC amplitude than non-switched words. The N400 amplitude was larger for nouns than verbs, more focal for switches than non-switches, and for early than late nouns but not for early than late verbs. Moreover, an early LPC effect was observed only for switched nouns, but not verbs. Together, this indicates that referential elements (nouns) may be harder to process and integrate than relational elements (verbs) in discourse, and when switched, nouns incur higher integration cost. Word position did not modulate the code switching effects, implying that switching between languages may invoke discourse independent processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shukhan Ng
- University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA.
| | - Christian Gonzalez
- Creighton University School of Medicine, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha, NE 68178, USA.
| | - Nicole Y Y Wicha
- University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA; University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA.
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Guajardo LF, Wicha NYY. Morphosyntax can modulate the N400 component: event related potentials to gender-marked post-nominal adjectives. Neuroimage 2014; 91:262-72. [PMID: 24462934 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.09.077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2013] [Revised: 09/12/2013] [Accepted: 09/17/2013] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Event-related potential studies of grammatical gender agreement often report a left anterior negativity (LAN) when agreement violations occur. Some studies have shown that during sentence comprehension gender violations can also interact with semantic processing to modulate a negativity associated with processing meaning - the N400. Given that the LAN and N400 overlap in time, they are identified by their scalp distributions and purported functional roles. Critically, grammatical gender violations also elicit a right posterior positivity that can overlap temporally and potentially affect the scalp distribution of the LAN/N400. We measured the effect of grammatical gender violations in the LAN/N400 window and late positive component (LPC) during comprehension of Spanish sentences. A post-nominal adjective could either make sense or not, and either agree or disagree in gender with the preceding noun. We observed a negativity to gender agreement violations in the LAN/N400 window (300-500ms post stimulus onset) that was smaller than the semantic-congruity N400, but overlapped with it in time and distribution. The early portion of the LPC to gender violations was modulated by sentence constraint, occurring as early as 450ms in highly constraining sentences. A subadditive interaction occurred at the later portion of the LPC with equivalent effects for single and double violations (gender and semantics), reflecting a general stage of reprocessing. Overall, our data support models of language comprehension whereby both semantic and morphosyntactic information can affect processing at similar time points.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lourdes F Guajardo
- University of Texas at San Antonio, Department of Biology, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Nicole Y Y Wicha
- University of Texas at San Antonio, Department of Biology, San Antonio, TX, USA; University of Texas at San Antonio, Neurosciences Institute, San Antonio, TX, USA; University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Research Imaging Institute, San Antonio, TX, USA.
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Bowden HW, Steinhauer K, Sanz C, Ullman MT. Native-like brain processing of syntax can be attained by university foreign language learners. Neuropsychologia 2013; 51:2492-511. [PMID: 24051003 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2013.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2012] [Revised: 07/25/2013] [Accepted: 09/03/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Using event-related potentials (ERPs), we examined the neurocognition of late-learned second language (L2) Spanish in two groups of typical university foreign-language learners (as compared to native (L1) speakers): one group with only one year of college classroom experience, and low-intermediate proficiency (L2 Low), and another group with over three years of college classroom experience as well as 1-2 semesters of immersion experience abroad, and advanced proficiency (L2 Advanced). Semantic violations elicited N400s in all three groups, whereas syntactic word-order violations elicited LAN/P600 responses in the L1 and L2 Advanced groups, but not the L2 Low group. Indeed, the LAN and P600 responses were statistically indistinguishable between the L1 and L2 Advanced groups. The results support and extend previous findings. Consistent with previous research, the results suggest that L2 semantic processing always depends on L1-like neurocognitive mechanisms, whereas L2 syntactic processing initially differs from L1, but can shift to native-like processes with sufficient proficiency or exposure, and perhaps with immersion experience in particular. The findings further demonstrate that substantial native-like brain processing of syntax can be achieved even by typical university foreign-language learners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harriet Wood Bowden
- Department of Modern Foreign Languages & Literatures, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, 701 McClung Tower, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA.
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Batterink L, Neville H. Implicit and explicit second language training recruit common neural mechanisms for syntactic processing. J Cogn Neurosci 2013; 25:936-51. [PMID: 23631551 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
In contrast to native language acquisition, adult second-language (L2) acquisition occurs under highly variable learning conditions. Although most adults acquire their L2 at least partially through explicit instruction, as in a classroom setting, many others acquire their L2 primarily through implicit exposure, as is typical of an immersion environment. Whether these differences in acquisition environment play a role in determining the neural mechanisms that are ultimately recruited to process L2 grammar has not been well characterized. This study investigated this issue by comparing the ERP response to novel L2 syntactic rules acquired under conditions of implicit exposure and explicit instruction, using a novel laboratory language-learning paradigm. Native speakers tested on these stimuli showed a biphasic response to syntactic violations, consisting of an earlier negativity followed by a later P600 effect. After merely an hour of training, both implicitly and explicitly trained learners who were capable of detecting grammatical violations also elicited P600 effects. In contrast, learners who were unable to discriminate between grammatically correct and incorrect sentences did not show significant P600 effects. The magnitude of the P600 effect was found to correlate with learners' behavioral proficiency. Behavioral measures revealed that successful learners from both the implicit and explicit groups gained explicit, verbalizable knowledge about the L2 grammar rules. Taken together, these results indicate that late, controlled mechanisms indexed by the P600 play a crucial role in processing a late-learned L2 grammar, regardless of training condition. These findings underscore the remarkable plasticity of later, attention-dependent processes and their importance in lifelong learning.
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White EJ, Genesee F, Steinhauer K. Brain responses before and after intensive second language learning: proficiency based changes and first language background effects in adult learners. PLoS One 2012; 7:e52318. [PMID: 23300641 PMCID: PMC3530537 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0052318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2012] [Accepted: 11/14/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
This longitudinal study tracked the neuro-cognitive changes associated with second language (L2) grammar learning in adults in order to investigate how L2 processing is shaped by a learner's first language (L1) background and L2 proficiency. Previous studies using event-related potentials (ERPs) have argued that late L2 learners cannot elicit a P600 in response to L2 grammatical structures that do not exist in the L1 or that are different in the L1 and L2. We tested whether the neuro-cognitive processes underlying this component become available after intensive L2 instruction. Korean- and Chinese late-L2-learners of English were tested at the beginning and end of a 9-week intensive English-L2 course. ERPs were recorded while participants read English sentences containing violations of regular past tense (a grammatical structure that operates differently in Korean and does not exist in Chinese). Whereas no P600 effects were present at the start of instruction, by the end of instruction, significant P600s were observed for both L1 groups. Latency differences in the P600 exhibited by Chinese and Korean speakers may be attributed to differences in L1-L2 reading strategies. Across all participants, larger P600 effects at session 2 were associated with: 1) higher levels of behavioural performance on an online grammaticality judgment task; and 2) with correct, rather than incorrect, behavioural responses. These findings suggest that the neuro-cognitive processes underlying the P600 (e.g., "grammaticalization") are modulated by individual levels of L2 behavioural performance and learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin Jacquelyn White
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, Montreal, Canada
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Fred Genesee
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, Montreal, Canada
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Karsten Steinhauer
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, Montreal, Canada
- School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
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Morgan-Short K, Finger I, Grey S, Ullman MT. Second language processing shows increased native-like neural responses after months of no exposure. PLoS One 2012; 7:e32974. [PMID: 22470434 PMCID: PMC3314650 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0032974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2011] [Accepted: 02/06/2012] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Although learning a second language (L2) as an adult is notoriously difficult, research has shown that adults can indeed attain native language-like brain processing and high proficiency levels. However, it is important to then retain what has been attained, even in the absence of continued exposure to the L2—particularly since periods of minimal or no L2 exposure are common. This event-related potential (ERP) study of an artificial language tested performance and neural processing following a substantial period of no exposure. Adults learned to speak and comprehend the artificial language to high proficiency with either explicit, classroom-like, or implicit, immersion-like training, and then underwent several months of no exposure to the language. Surprisingly, proficiency did not decrease during this delay. Instead, it remained unchanged, and there was an increase in native-like neural processing of syntax, as evidenced by several ERP changes—including earlier, more reliable, and more left-lateralized anterior negativities, and more robust P600s, in response to word-order violations. Moreover, both the explicitly and implicitly trained groups showed increased native-like ERP patterns over the delay, indicating that such changes can hold independently of L2 training type. The results demonstrate that substantial periods with no L2 exposure are not necessarily detrimental. Rather, benefits may ensue from such periods of time even when there is no L2 exposure. Interestingly, both before and after the delay the implicitly trained group showed more native-like processing than the explicitly trained group, indicating that type of training also affects the attainment of native-like processing in the brain. Overall, the findings may be largely explained by a combination of forgetting and consolidation in declarative and procedural memory, on which L2 grammar learning appears to depend. The study has a range of implications, and suggests a research program with potentially important consequences for second language acquisition and related fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kara Morgan-Short
- Department of Hispanic and Italian Studies and Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Ingrid Finger
- Brain and Language Lab, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., United States of America
- Department of Modern Languages, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Sarah Grey
- Brain and Language Lab, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., United States of America
| | - Michael T. Ullman
- Brain and Language Lab, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., United States of America
- * E-mail:
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