LINGUIST List 18.2151
Mon Jul 16 2007
Diss: Cog Sci/Lang Acquisition/Neuroling: Morgan-Short: 'A Neurolin...'
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1. Kara
Morgan-Short,
A Neurolinguistic Investigation of Late-Learned Second Language Knowledge: The effects of explicit and implicit conditions
Message 1: A Neurolinguistic Investigation of Late-Learned Second Language Knowledge: The effects of explicit and implicit conditions
Date: 16-Jul-2007
From: Kara Morgan-Short <morgankdgeorgetown.edu>
Subject: A Neurolinguistic Investigation of Late-Learned Second Language Knowledge: The effects of explicit and implicit conditions
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Institution: Georgetown University
Program: Department of Spanish and Portuguese
Dissertation Status: Completed
Degree Date: 2007
Author: Kara Morgan-Short
Dissertation Title: A Neurolinguistic Investigation of Late-Learned Second Language Knowledge: The effects of explicit and implicit conditions
Linguistic Field(s):
Cognitive Science
Language Acquisition
Neurolinguistics
Dissertation Director:
Cristina Sanz
Karsten Steinhauer
Michael Ullman
Dissertation Abstract:
This study examines several related issues concerning second languageacquisition and processing: what computational and neural systems underliesecond language acquisition and processing at both low and high proficiencylevels; whether later learners can achieve native-like proficiency; and howconditions to which second language (L2) learners are exposed (e.g.,explicit and implicit conditions) affect these issues. Informed by thefields of cognitive neuroscience and second language acquisition (SLA),this study investigated the neurocognitive underpinnings of adultacquisition and use of L2 by using an artificial language paradigm,following Friederici, Steinhauer and Pfeifer (2002). Adult subjects learnedan artificial language to advanced levels of proficiency under two trainingconditions: explicit and implicit. Syntactic and morphosyntactic processingwere assessed within-subjects and across training conditions with bothbehavioral and neurocognitive measures, specifically event-relatedpotentials (ERPs), at low and high proficiency levels. Behavioral resultsindicated that participants from both groups performed similarly at low andhigher levels proficiency, although the explicit training condition led tosome advantage for one morphosyntactic form. These results are largelyconsistent with the findings of Sanz and Morgan-Short (2004). ERP resultsshowed that the implicit condition led to an N400 component for syntacticand morphosyntactic structures at low proficiency and to a LAN-P600biphasic response for these structures at higher levels of proficiencywhereas the explicit condition did not lead to the predicted components.Interestingly, the biphasic response evidenced by the implicit group isconsistent with the typical response evidenced in L1 to these structures.The neurocognitive processing underlying performance of the implicit groupis consistent with the results from Friederici, Steinhauer and Pfeifer(2002) as well as with the predictions of the declarative/procedural model(2001a; 2001b; 2004; 2005). Overall, the explicit and implicit conditionsdid not differentially affect L2 knowledge as reflected by behavioralassessments but they did appear to affect the cognitive processing thatunderlies use of the L2 knowledge. Future research that fully considers andincorporates theory and research methodology from SLA and cognitiveneuroscience is likely to provide insights into L2A and have significantimplications for our understanding of L2A.
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