scholarly journals An investigation of behavioural and electrophysiological markers of integration in learning of novel names for novel concepts

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Korochkina ◽  
Lyndsey Nickels ◽  
Audrey Bürki

The Complementary Learning Systems model of word learning proposes that newly learned words that have been integrated into semantic memory can interact with familiar words during lexical selection. The study reported here is the first to examine how behavioural markers of integration map onto electrophysiological markers of integration in a version of the semantic priming paradigm that is assumed to rely primarily on automatic semantic processing. 71 young healthy adults learned novel names for two sets of novel concepts, one set on each of two consecutive days. Learning was followed by a continuous primed lexical decision task with EEG measures.The behavioural data was analysed with Bayesian Linear Mixed Effects models, while, for the electrophysiological data, two types of analyses were conducted: Bayesian Distributional Regression models were used to analyse mean amplitude in two pre-defined spatiotemporal windows (N400 and LPC), whereas the Mass Univariate analysis was run to explore other time points and regions. We found evidence against priming effects in either spatiotemporal window or in the behavioural data. Nonetheless, there was evidence for differential processing of the novel names depending on the length of the consolidation period (0-day vs 1-day). We take these findings to indicate that neither the 0-day nor the 1-day consolidation period was sufficient for integration in our study and that, 24 hours after exposure to novel words, the system still relies on episodic memory to distinguish between these novel words (learned 24h ago), those learned more recently and those that haven’t been seen before.

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 261-270
Author(s):  
Verónica García-Castro

There is evidence that L1 and L2 lexical engagement of novel items occurs in adulthood. However, previous studies have not addressed the effects of individual differences on that engagement. Hence, it is unknown how individual differences may influence semantic lexical engagement gains in L1 and L2 adult learners. This study investigates the effects of pre-existing vocabulary knowledge on L2 semantic lexical engagement of recently learned novel words. A semantic priming experiment, across two consecutive days, was conducted.  A group of advanced L2 learners (n=26) and L1 learners (n=26) participated in the study. They were trained on pseudowords acting as verbs (n=7) and nouns (n=7). Vocabulary knowledge was measured via an online vocabulary size test.  On day one, participants learned the meaning of the pseudowords via reading 12 repetitions of the novel words embedded into English sentences. Immediately, after the reading session, participants undertook surprise recognition and recall vocabulary post-tests. On day two, participants took part in a semantic lexical decision task (LDT) with priming to test L2 semantic lexical engagement of the novel words learned on day one. The data were analysed through a series of general and linear mixed-effects models. The results showed that L1 and L2 participants engaged the meaning of the recently learned novel words. Previous vocabulary knowledge predicted faster recognition of semantic related and unrelated primes in the LDT task. It is concluded that L1 and L2 adult learners lexically engaged the meaning of the recently learned words and that vocabulary size is a predictor of L2 semantic lexical engagement of novel words within the conditions of this study. The empirical findings provide a new understanding of the role vocabulary knowledge on L1 and L2 semantic lexical engagement of novel words. 


2010 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 131-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catharina Casper ◽  
Klaus Rothermund ◽  
Dirk Wentura

Processes involving an automatic activation of stereotypes in different contexts were investigated using a priming paradigm with the lexical decision task. The names of social categories were combined with background pictures of specific situations to yield a compound prime comprising category and context information. Significant category priming effects for stereotypic attributes (e.g., Bavarians – beer) emerged for fitting contexts (e.g., in combination with a picture of a marquee) but not for nonfitting contexts (e.g., in combination with a picture of a shop). Findings indicate that social stereotypes are organized as specific mental schemas that are triggered by a combination of category and context information.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pauline Palma ◽  
Marie-France Marin ◽  
k onishi ◽  
Debra Titone

Although several studies have focused on novel word learning and consolidation in native (presumably monolingual) speakers, less is know about how bilinguals add novel words to their mental lexicon. Here, we trained 33 English-French bilinguals on novel word-forms that were neighbors to “hermit” English words (i.e., words with no existing neighbors). Importantly, these English words varied in terms of orthographic overlap with their French translation equivalent (i.e., cognates vs. noncognates). We measured explicit recognition of the novel neighbors and the interaction between novel neighbors and English words through a lexical decision task, both before and after a sleep interval. In the lexical decision task, we found evidence of immediate facilitation for English words with novel neighbors, and evidence of competition after a sleep interval for cognate words only. These results suggest that higher quality of existing lexical representations predicts an earlier onset for novel word lexicalization.


2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 23-30
Author(s):  
Yu Kanazawa ◽  
◽  

Emotion is a pervasive phenomenon whose pivotal impacts on cognition have been proposed and increasingly acknowledged (e.g., operator effect and “(de-)energizing” effect; cf. Ciompi & Panksepp, 2005; Damasio, 2003; LeDoux, 2012). In accordance with this, second language acquisition (SLA) studies have recently seen an “affective turn” (Pavlenko, 2013) and several theories have been proposed and studies conducted concerning the effect of affect in SLA from such perspectives as motivation (Dörnyei & Ushioda, 2011), foreign language anxiety/enjoyment (Dewaele & MacIntyre, 2016), Directed Motivational Currents (Dörnyei, Henry, & Muir, 2016), and emotional intelligence (Gregersen & MacIntyre, 2017; Kanazawa, 2016b). The purpose of the experiments was to examine whether emotion-involved semantic processing (EmInvSemProc) results in better incidental L2 memory performance compared to other types of semantic processing (viz., a lexical decision task [LDT] for Experiment A and an imageability judgment task [IJT] for Experiment B).


1993 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Regina McGlinchey-berroth ◽  
William P. Milberg ◽  
Mieke Verfaellie ◽  
Michael Alexander ◽  
Patrick T. Kilduff

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony J. Angwin ◽  
Nadeeka N.W. Dissanayaka ◽  
Alison Moorcroft ◽  
Katie L. McMahon ◽  
Peter A. Silburn ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectives: Cognitive-linguistic impairments in Parkinson’s disease (PD) have been well documented; however, few studies have explored the neurophysiological underpinnings of semantic deficits in PD. This study investigated semantic function in PD using event-related potentials. Methods: Eighteen people with PD and 18 healthy controls performed a semantic judgement task on written word pairs that were either congruent or incongruent. Results: The mean amplitude of the N400 for new incongruent word pairs was similar for both groups, however the onset latency was delayed in the PD group. Further analysis of the data revealed that both groups demonstrated attenuation of the N400 for repeated incongruent trials, as well as attenuation of the P600 component for repeated congruent trials. Conclusions: The presence of N400 congruity and N400 repetition effects in the PD group suggests that semantic processing is generally intact, but with a slower time course as evidenced by the delayed N400. Additional research will be required to determine whether N400 and P600 repetition effects are sensitive to further cognitive decline in PD. (JINS, 2017, 23, 78–89)


2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 1020-1037 ◽  
Author(s):  
MICHELLE MACROY-HIGGINS ◽  
ELIZABETH A. MONTEMARANO

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to examine attention allocation in toddlers who were late talkers and toddlers with typical language development while they were engaged in a word-learning task in order to determine if differences exist. Two-year-olds who were late talkers (11) and typically developing toddlers (11) were taught twelve novel pseudo-words for unfamiliar objects over ten training sessions. The toddlers' attention allocation during the word-learning sessions was measured as well as their comprehension of the newly learned words. Late talkers showed reduced attention allocation to objects during word-training sessions, and also comprehended fewer of the novel words than toddlers with typical language development. Attention allocation was found to be a stronger predictor of word learning as compared to cognition and auditory comprehension. Reduced attention allocation may contribute to the early lexical delay characteristic in late talkers.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. M. Arcuri ◽  
M. R. Broome ◽  
V. Giampietro ◽  
E. Amaro ◽  
T. T. J. Kircher ◽  
...  

Formal thought disorder is a feature schizophrenia that manifests as disorganized, incoherent speech, and is associated with a poor clinical outcome. The neurocognitive basis of this symptom is unclear but it is thought to involve an impairment in semantic processing classically described as a loosening of meaningful associations. Using a paradigm derived from the n400 event-related, potential, we examined the extent to which regional activation during semantic processing is altered in schizophrenic patients with formal thought disorder. Ten healthy control and 18 schizophrenic participants (9 with and 9 without formal thought disorder) performed a semantic decision sentence task during an event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment. We employed analysis of variance to estimate the main effects of semantic congruency and groups on activation and specific effects of formal thought disorder were addressed using post-hoc comparisons. We found that the frontotemporal network, normally engaged by a semantic decision task, was underactivated in schizophrenia, particularly in patients with FTD. This network is implicated in the inhibition of automatically primed stimuli and impairment of its function interferes with language processing and contributes to the production of incoherent speech.


2000 ◽  
Vol 90 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takahiro Tamura

In this experiment with a Novel Label Task, 48 children ages 5 to 6 years were given a novel word for a target item, e.g., a dog. They were also given one of two types of featural information for the target item, a feature naturally common to animals, i.e., “This has a heart inside,” or an accidental feature uncommon to animals, i.e., “This gets a splinter.” As a result, the number of children who interpreted the novel word at the superordinate level (animal) increased significantly when they were given the feature naturally common to animals. On the other hand, there was no significant increase for an accidental feature. Further, the children were given the instruction that all animal items in this task had the same featutes as the target item. As a result, although the number of children who interpreted the novel word at the superordinate level (animal) increased significantly when they were given both the feature naturally common to animals and also the accidental feature, there were more when the instruction was with the feature naturally common to animals than with the accidental feature. The findings were discussed in relation to the factors corresponding to young children's interpretation of a novel word at the superordinate level.


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