The Cognitive Neuroscience of Second Language Acquisition

描述（由申请人提供）：在过去的五年中，在NICHD的支持下，我们一直在积极研究大学生学习第二语言时文字处理的时间过程和神经相关性。在这项工作中，我们使用事件相关电位（ERP）技术，该技术提供了一种无创且成本有效的神经活动在线测量方法，可用于研究双语者两种语言中单词的潜在组织和处理。我们的研究为学习新的第二语言词汇的神经、感知和认知机制提供了重要的见解，并展示了这种学习如何影响母语（L1）的加工。这项工作使我们描述了一种新的第二语言习得的发展互动激活模型，该模型将在本提案中概述的三组相关研究中进行测试。到目前为止，我们的研究主要集中在法语和英语大学第二语言学习者的互补人群上。在这个竞争性的更新中，我们的第一个目标是跟踪研究结果，使用我们最有前途的ERP范式，在两组更熟练的平衡双语者中：一组在生命早期学习两种语言；第二种是在10岁以后学习一种语言的孩子。在第二个目标中，我们建议继续我们对法语/英语大学学习者的研究，但也将我们的ERP研究扩展到L1英语和两种非印欧语言的法语学习者，这两种语言要么使用与西方语言（日语）完全不同的书写系统，要么使用类似的书写系统，但不同的字母（阿拉伯语）。最后，我们的第三个目标是将我们的ERP研究扩展到刚开始学习第二语言视觉词汇的学习者。在这些研究中，学习将在受控的实验室条件下进行，并在九次培训期间跟踪学习的进展情况。在新的二语词汇中，ERP测量和语言能力的变化将被监测。这些研究将帮助我们填补关于第二语言学习者文字处理的神经组织和相互关系的重要知识空白。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Over the past five years, thanks to support from NICHD, we have been actively studying the time-course and neural correlates of word processing in university students learning a second language. In this work we use the event-related potential (ERP) technique, which provides a noninvasive and cost effective online measure of neural activity that can be used to study the underlying organization and processing of words in both of a bilingual's two languages. Our studies have provided important insights into the neural, perceptual and cognitive mechanisms involved in acquiring a vocabulary in a new second language (L2), as well as showing how such learning impacts native language (L1) processing. This work has led us to describe a new developmental interactive-activation model of second language acquisition which will be tested in three sets of interrelated studies in the research outlined in this proposal. To date our studies have focused on complementary populations of French and English university learners of a L2. In this competing renewal our first aim is to follow-up on the results of studies using several of our most promising ERP paradigms in two groups of more proficient balanced bilinguals: one that learned both of their languages early in life; and a second that learned one language early and the other after age 10. In a second aim we propose to continue our study of French/English university learners, but to also expand our ERP studies to L1 English and French learners of two non- Indo-European languages that either use a completely different writing system than western languages (Japanese) or use a similar writing system, but a different alphabet (Arabic). Finally, our third aim is to extend our ERP studies to learners who are at the very beginning of acquiring a visual vocabulary in a new L2. In these studies learning will take place under controlled laboratory conditions and the progression of learning over a period of nine training sessions will be tracked. Changes in both ERP measures and language competence on items in the new L2 vocabulary will be monitored. Together these studies will help us fill important gaps in knowledge about the neural organization and interrelationship of word processing in second language learners. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: In most of the world bilingualism is the norm. Even in the primarily monolingual US, there is a growing awareness that knowledge of a second language (L2) is essential to our competitiveness. However, there are critical gaps in our understanding of how L2s are learned and processed as well as how learning a second language influences native language processing. The proposed studies will provide critical information about the mental and neural underpinnings of L2 acquisition.