Psychological and Electrophysiological Correlates of Word Learning Success (original) (raw)
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Learning Disability Quarterly, 2001
This article provides a basic background for the professional who is interested in utilizing event-related potential (ERP) approaches to study language processes but has little background in or knowledge about the technique. First, a brief history of the emergence of this technology is presented, followed by definitions, a theoretical overview, and a practical guide to conducting ERP studies. The basis for choice of electrode positions, equipment characteristics (e.g., filter settings), and analyses are also discussed.
Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, 2017
The discovery of electroencephalography (EEG) over a century ago has changed the way we understand brain structure and function, in terms of both clinical and research applications. This paper starts with a short description of EEG and then focuses on the event-related brain potentials (ERPs), and their use in experimental settings. It describes the typical set-up of an ERP experiment. A description of a number of ERP components typically involved in language research is presented. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of using ERPs in language research are discussed. EEG has an extensive use in today’s world, including medical, psychology, or linguistic research. The excellent temporal resolution of EEG information allows one to track a brain response in milliseconds and therefore makes it uniquely suited to research concerning language processing.
Words in the brain: lexical determinants of word-induced brain activity
Journal of Neurolinguistics, 2002
Many studies have shown that open-and closed-class words elicit different patterns of brain activity, as manifested in the scalp-recorded event-related potential (ERP). One hypothesis is that these ERP differences re¯ect the different linguistic functions of the two vocabularies. We tested this hypothesis against the possibility that the word-class effects are attributable to quantitative differences in word length. We recorded ERPs from 13 scalp sites while participants read a short essay. Some participants made sentence-acceptability judgments at the end of each sentence, whereas others read for comprehension without an additional task. ERPs were averaged as a function of word class (open versus closed), grammatical category (articles, nouns, verbs, etc.), and word length. Although the two word classes did elicit distinct ERPs, all of these differences were highly correlated with word length. We conclude that ERP differences between open-and closed-class words are primarily due to quantitative differences in word length rather than to qualitative differences in linguistic function. q
Word meaning acquisition is reflected in brain potentials of isolated words
Scientific reports, 2017
Learning a new concept and corresponding word typically involves repeated exposure to the word in the same or a similar context until the link crystallizes in long term memory. Although electrophysiological indices of the result of learning are well documented, there is currently no measure of the process of conceptually-mediated learning itself. Here, we recorded event-related brain potentials from participants who read unfamiliar words presented in isolation followed by a definition that either explained the meaning of the word or was a true, but uninformative statement. Self-reported word knowledge ratings increased for those words that were followed by meaningful definitions and were correlated with a decrease in ERP amplitude of a late frontal negativity (LFN) elicited by the isolated word. Importantly, the rate of LFN amplitude change predicted post-hoc learning outcome measures. Therefore, the LFN is real-time measure that is not under conscious control and which reflects con...
Journal of the European Second Language Association, 2019
Neurocognitive measures have only scarcely been used in second language (L2) vocabulary research. Traditionally, L2 vocabulary knowledge has been gauged by using off-line measures that allow for conscious thinking and attentional control. Yet, it has been argued that more research is warranted on the role of measures that have the sensitivity to tap into on-line lexical processing. Recording Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) may be an effective technique in order to refine our understanding of L2 vocabulary knowledge. In the current article, we provide a comprehensive review of the relevant literature in order to examine the extent to which ERP research may be valuable to L2 vocabulary research. This review focuses on the potential of ERPs to address the multifaceted nature of vocabulary knowledge. It also examines the role of ERPs to elucidate the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying the incremental nature of L2 vocabulary learning. Finally, this paper discusses the extent to which ERPs might contribute to understanding factors that affect L2 vocabulary learning.
Neuroimage, 2006
Event-related potentials (ERPs) were used to trace changes in brain activity related to progress in second language learning. Twelve English-speaking exchange students learning German in Switzerland were recruited. ERPs to visually presented single words from the subjects' native language (English), second language (German) and an unknown language (Romansh) were measured before (day 1) and after (day 2) 5 months of intense German language learning. When comparing ERPs to German words from day 1 and day 2, we found topographic differences between 396 and 540 ms. These differences could be interpreted as a latency shift indicating faster processing of German words on day 2. Source analysis indicated that the topographic differences were accounted for by shorter activation of left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) on day 2. In ERPs to English words, we found Global Field Power differences between 472 and 644 ms. This may due to memory traces related to English words being less easily activated on day 2. Alternatively, it might reflect the fact thatwith German words becoming familiar on day 2 -English words loose their oddball character and thus produce a weaker P300-like effect on day 2. In ERPs to Romansh words, no differences were observed. Our results reflect plasticity in the neuronal networks underlying second language acquisition. They indicate that with a higher level of second language proficiency, second language word processing is faster and requires shorter frontal activation. Thus, our results suggest that the reduced IFG activation found in previous fMRI studies might not reflect a generally lower activation but rather a shorter duration of activity.
Event-Related Brain Potentials During Picture Naming, Using Early and Late Acquired Words
Middle East Journal of Rehabilitation and Health, 2015
Background: Naming is a simple and basic skill of the language which involves semantic, lexical, and phonological levels. There are many different factors affecting the speed and convenience of naming. One of these factors is the word Age of Acquisition (AoA) and since language processing occurs at an extremely fast rate, psycholinguistics needs a method that has very good temporal resolution. The Eventrelated Brain Potentials (ERP) method is almost ideal among the imaging techniques of studying a language. Objectives: The current study aimed to investigate the electroencephalograph signals related to the time period of phonological encoding during immediate picture naming through the analysis of AoA effect. Patients and Methods: In this cross-sectional study 15 male, native Farsi speakers, aged 18-25 years participated. The test involved naming 80 pictures including 40 early-acquired words and 40 late-acquired words, presented by a monitor screen. EEG (electroencephalogram) was recorded continuously from 64 electrodes mounted on an electrode cap. The waves related to early and late-acquired groups were investigated in terms of amplitude, latency, and scalp distribution within a 300 millisecond time range linked to phonological encoding process. Results: The results showed that the pictures of the early-acquired words were named 40 millisecond faster than those of late-acquired words (P = 0.022). The difference between the two groups was significant on the latency and scalp distribution, but not significant on amplitude. Conclusions: According to the results of the study, AoA modulated response latencies (early acquired words were produced faster than late-acquired ones), indicating increased processing time-cost for late acquired words, which happens during the phonological encoding period (phonological code retrieval and syllabification). Furthermore, the results seem to support a phonological encoding locus for the main AoA effects.
Brain activation and lexical learning: The impact of learning phase and word type
NeuroImage, 2010
This study investigated the neural correlates of second-language lexical acquisition in terms of learning phase and word type. Ten French-speaking participants learned 80 Spanish words-40 cognates, 40 noncognates-by means of a computer program. The learning process included the early learning phase, which comprised 5 days, and the consolidation phase, which lasted 2 weeks. After each phase, participants performed an overt naming task during an er-fMRI scan. Naming accuracy was better for cognates during the early learning phase only. However, cognates were named faster than non-cognates during both phases. The early learning phase was characterized by activations in the left iFG and Broca's area, which were associated with effortful lexical retrieval and phonological processing, respectively. Further, the activation in the left ACC and DLPFC suggested that monitoring may be involved during the early phases of lexical learning. During the consolidation phase, the activation in the left premotor cortex, the right supramarginal gyrus and the cerebellum indicated that articulatory planning may contribute to the consolidation of second-language phonetic representations. No dissociation between word type and learning phase could be supported. However, a Fisher r-to-z test showed that successful cognate retrieval was associated with activations in Broca's area, which could reflect the adaptation of known L1 phonological sequences. Moreover, successful retrieval of non-cognates was associated with activity in the anterior-medial left fusiform and right posterior cingulate cortices, suggesting that their successful retrieval may rely upon the access to semantic and lexical information, and even on the greater likelihood of errors.
A sampler of event-related brain potential (ERP) analyses of language processing
Brain research in language, 2008
In large part, language comprehension and production occur quickly and unavailable to conscious reflection. Electrophysiological methods -eventrelated brain potentials (ERPs) and other measures of electrical brain activityafford a view of the brain in action as it supports these language processes as they unfold in real time. Moreover, ERPs can be utilized even when a comprehender's only task is to understand a word, phrase or sentence or to produce names or more elaborate utterances. Recording electrical brain activity in response to written and spoken words (as well as smaller and larger linguistic units) thus provides a means of tracking the brain's sensitivity to various linguistic inputs, revealing which factors are important to processing and the time course of their influence. As a continuous measure of processing, ERPs allow simultaneous looks at brain activity at the multiple time scales at which language processing transpires, from the first milliseconds of processing a word to the seconds required to comprehend a sentence, or even longer for a discourse. One of the greatest advantages to using ERPs, then, is that this combination of methodological features allows for investigations of aspects of language processing that are otherwise difficult if not impossible to detect via other measures. In this chapter, we will examine such instances, outlining five very different groups of ERP studies which exemplify some of the unique insights made possible by use of the methodology in the study of language-related neural processes. In particular, we will discuss the paradigms and the kinds of information that can be gathered from using ERPs to look at language processing outside the focus of attention, during language learning (before explicit knowing), for individuals in unconscious states, in determining