情绪、情绪调节的ERPs晚正成分研究进展

基于神经学方法的运用,情绪、情绪调节研究发现事件相关电位的晚正成分LPP与情绪刺激的自动化加工、有意控制加工之间有着紧密的联系。LPP源于枕叶和后顶叶皮层,由蓝斑——去甲肾上腺素系统对情绪刺激进行反应时产生,反映了注意对情绪刺激的持续偏向和加工。由于个体生活经历、年龄发展及基因的不同,LPP存在个体差异性。情绪调节的ERP研究发现,LPP的时程可作为情绪调节的替代指标。在此基础上,提出ERP在较完整理解情绪加工和调节这一应用领域中的未来发展方向。     

浅议句法语义关系的ERP研究

句法和语义是句子理解加工的两个主要方面,人类大脑是否能够对句法和语义进行区分?又是如何对两者分别进行表征和加工的?这是目前语言认知神经科学领域研究的一个十分重要的课题。近年诸如"ERP"和"fMRI"之类神经语言学研究方法的兴起和盛行,为句子理解加工的相关研究提供了新的技术手段,也使研究者对句子理解加工的研究大大深化。本文旨在概述当前句法语义关系的ERP研究的一些成果。     

语言理解眼动研究的争论与趋势

眼动记录法是当代心理学界进行语言理解研究的一种重要技术。通过对大量文献的回顾和分析,可以看到,目前这一领域研究争论的焦点主要集中在眼动控制的本质、串行抑或并行加工两个问题上。而在未来,对语言理解的眼动研究将会集中于口语理解的眼动研究、眼动与ERP的结合、宏观层面语言理解、语言理解的个别差异、不同语言间的眼动比较研究等方面,未来语言理解研究的新成果将会更多地建立在眼动研究的基础上。     

从无所不能的"小矮人"到成长中的"巨人"——工作记忆中央执行系统研究述评

中央执行性系统作为工作记忆的核心成分,主要负责工作记忆中的控制性加工,在工作记忆中起着关键的作用;中央执行系统是可分离的,转换、刷新和抑制是三种相对独立的中央执行功能,分别起着不同的作用;认知神经科学关于工作记忆的研究表明,工作记忆的执行功能主要由前额叶调控,P300是反映中央执行系统功能的典型ERP成分;对工作记忆中央执行性系统概念的辨析、相关研究范式的改进以及中央执行系统的训练将成为该领域研究的重点.     

事件相关电位在社会认知中的应用

近年来,各种心理学方法被广泛应用于社会认知研究,事件相关电位（theevent-related brain potential,ERP）是其中之一.它拓展了传统的行为研究方法,有效测评外显行为背后的潜在大脑加工.文章在回顾总结近年来相关电位成分在社会认知领域应用的基础上,展望了ERP技术在我国社会认知心理学领域的发展前景.     

ERP成分N400运用于语言理解的实证研究综述

语言加工是连续的、具有多个分析层次的复杂过程。而新近发展起来的ERP技术具有精确的时间分辨率和多维探测指标,可以对语言进行连续的测量,同时对不同层次的分析有不同的敏感指标。ERP成分N400在单词加工、语义加工以及在句法加工中都有着极大的影响与作用。广大英语教师应在这一方面增强和提高理论知识,为教学实践与改革找到理论依据,并从中获得有益的启发和帮助作用。     

大脑两半球在语言加工中的作用

大脑两半球与语言加工的关系长期以来都是心理学界、语言学界乃至医学界最为重要的研究问题之一，更是当今认知神经科学领域的研究热点。近20年来，研究者们采用更为精细和无创伤的研究方法与技术，在词汇语义加工、语篇加工、比喻语言的运用，以及语言的情绪表达和理解等语言理解的不同加工层面进行了更为细致而深入的研究，极大地深化了人们对人类大脑两半球语言功能及其相互作用机制的认识。     

韵律加工的事件相关电位研究

韵律特征对语法建构的影响是心理语言学和认知神经科学的重要研究内容。韵律信息不仅可以帮助口语理解,而且文本阅读时也要借助韵律特征。为了揭示韵律加工的时间进程和脑机制,研究者使用事件相关电位(ERP)技术取得了一些重要的研究成果。首先,总结了韵律特征和语法结构相互作用过程中可能出现的六个ERP成分:右前负波(RAN)、早期负波(EN)、失配性负波(MMN)、中止正移波(CPS)、P600和P800。其次,针对目前研究韵律加工的特异性成分的不一致、实验任务不符合正常阅读习惯的缺陷、缺乏系统整合性分析这三个问题与争论进行了讨论。最后提出,只有充分考虑包括测试点、被试完成的任务等因素的影响,才能促进语言脑机制研究的进展。     

习语研究发展趋势的可视化分析

习语是一种普遍的语言现象,也是一种典型的隐喻语言,存在于各种语言中,在日常生活中频繁使用,是研究人类语言加工机制的重要切入点。深入、全面地梳理习语研究的文献有助于更好地了解该领域内的发展过程及趋势,对之后的研究工作具有启发及指导意义。鉴于习语研究相关的文献数目庞杂,借助CiteSpace II这一应用程序来进行引文分析发现,第一,20世纪80年代之后,习语的相关研究发展迅速,美国的学者,尤其是加利佛尼亚大学的学者们对该领域的发展做出了巨大贡献;第二,Lakoff 所提出的概念隐喻理论对习语研究产生了极大影响,使之转向对理解机制的探索;第三,不同研究领域之间的合作与交流拓宽了习语的研究范围,使习语加工脑机制这一议题成为当前热点。     

隐喻语言理解的语用和心理语言学阐释

语言学家对隐喻语言的理解有不同的解释。语用学家认为，隐喻语言违反了话语交际准则，对隐喻语言的理解包含对语用含意的一系列推导，其理解是间接的。心理语言学家认为，隐喻是人们对日常知识和经验概念化的一种手段，反映了人们较为普遍的思维和认知方式，对隐喻语言理解并不需要特殊的认知过程。从多学科、多角度对隐喻语言进行研究讨论，将使我们对隐喻语言理解获得更深更全面的认识。     

Lexical quality and executive control predict children’s first and second language reading comprehension

This study compared how lexical quality (vocabulary and decoding) and executive control (working memory and inhibition) predict reading comprehension directly as well as indirectly, via syntactic integration, in monolingual and bilingual fourth grade children. The participants were 76 monolingual and 102 bilingual children (mean age 10 years, SD = 5 months) learning to read Dutch in the Netherlands. Bilingual children showed lower Dutch vocabulary, syntactic integration and reading comprehension skills, but better decoding skills than their monolingual peers. There were no differences in working memory or inhibition. Multigroup path analysis showed relatively invariant connections between predictors and reading comprehension for monolingual and bilingual readers. For both groups, there was a direct effect of lexical quality on reading comprehension. In addition, lexical quality and executive control indirectly influenced reading comprehension via syntactic integration. The groups differed in that inhibition more strongly predicted syntactic integration for bilingual than for monolingual children. For a subgroup of bilingual children, for whom home language vocabulary data were available (n = 56), there was an additional positive effect of home language vocabulary on second language reading comprehension. Together, the results suggest that similar processes underlie reading comprehension in first and second language readers, but that syntactic integration requires more executive control in second language reading. Moreover, bilingual readers additionally benefit from first language vocabulary to arrive at second language reading comprehension.     

Reading Comprehension and Predictability Effects on Sentence Processing: An Event‐Related Potential Study

Electrophysiology studies have identified two event‐related potentials that are modulated by predictive processes during language comprehension: the N400 and a frontal positivity. The N400 is smaller when words are presented within highly restrictive sentences, indicating reduced lexical retrieval costs. Violations of strong predictions generate larger frontal positivities, possibly reflecting inhibitory processes. More skilled comprehenders may exhibit enhanced predictive processing, but this possibility has seldom been investigated with event‐related potentials (ERPs). We analyzed the association between predictability ERP modulations and reading comprehension abilities. Twenty‐four undergraduate students were exposed to strongly and weakly constraining sentences, ending with an expected or unexpected final word. Their comprehension skills were assessed with a cloze task. Better comprehenders showed smaller N400s for expected words, and larger posterior positivities for unexpected endings, in strongly constraining contexts. These effects correlated with reading comprehension scores. The results suggest that better comprehenders take more advantage of predictions to reduce retrieval costs, and allocate more resources to postlexical integration processes.     

Developmental changes in the nature of language proficiency and reading fluency paint a more complex view of reading comprehension in ELL and EL1

We examined theoretical issues concerning the development of reading fluency and language proficiency in 390 English Language Learners (ELLs,) and 149 monolingual, English-as-a-first language (EL1) students. The extent to which performance on these constructs in Grade 5 (i.e., concurrent predictors) contributes to reading comprehension in the presence of Grade 2 autoregressors was also addressed. Students were assessed on cognitive, language, word reading, and reading fluency skills in Grades 2 and 5. In Grade 2, regardless of language group, word and text reading fluency formed a single factor, but by Grade 5 word and text reading fluency formed two distinct factors, the latter being more aligned with language comprehension. In both groups a substantial proportion of the variance in Grade 5 reading comprehension was accounted for uniquely by Grade 2 phonological awareness and vocabulary. Grade 5 text reading fluency contributed uniquely in the presence of the autoregressors. By Grade 5 syntactic skills and listening comprehension emerged as additional language proficiency components predicting reading comprehension in ELL but not in EL1. Results suggest that predictors of reading comprehension are similar but not identical in ELL and EL1. The findings point to a more nuanced and dynamic framework for understanding the building blocks that contribute to reading comprehension in ELLs and EL1s in upper elementary school. They underscore the importance of considering constructs such as vocabulary, whose role is stable, and other components of language proficiency and reading fluency whose role becomes pivotal as their nature changes.     

Is the Whole Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts? Modeling the Contributions of Language Comprehension Skills to Reading Comprehension in the Upper Elementary Grades

Language comprehension is crucial to reading. However, theoretical models and recent research raise questions about what constitutes this multifaceted domain. We present two related studies examining the dimensionality of language comprehension and relations to reading comprehension in the upper elementary grades. Studies 1 (Grade 6; N = 148) and 2 (Grade 3–5; N = 311) contrasted factor models of language comprehension using item level indicators of morphological awareness and vocabulary (Studies 1 and 2) and syntactic awareness (Study 2). In both studies, a bifactor model—including general language comprehension and specific factors for each language component—best fit the data, and general language comprehension was the strongest predictor of reading comprehension. In Study 2, the morphology-specific factor also uniquely predicted reading comprehension above and beyond general language comprehension. Results suggest the value of modeling the common proficiency underlying performance on tasks designed to tap theoretically distinct language comprehension skills.     

ERP与二语学习:能像学习母语一样学习二语吗?

本文介绍了事件相关电位(Event-related potential,ERP)的基本原理和在语言学习研究中的运用,概括了二语学习关键期、二语学习与母语学习异同的ERP研究证据,力图回答二语学习者能否用学习母语的方式学习二语。最后,得出结论:(1)ERP是用来标志语言理解和产生过程中所涉及的知觉和认知过程的先进技术。(2)使用ERP研究第二语言学习和加工具有独特优势:不要求作出外显反应,即使在外显行为没有显示学习的时候也能揭示内在学习特点和规律。(3)二语习得有关键期效应,其间习得年龄与最终成就存在强烈的负线性关系,二语迟学者达不到母语一样的熟练程度。(4)二语学习者能否用母语的学习方式学习二语取决于以下互相关联的因素:初始学习二语的年龄、语言结构的相似性、对特定的违规语言现象产生预期能力的高低、二语的熟练程度。     

The effect of syntactic simplification on reading EST texts as L1 and L2

There has been a considerable suggestion in the literature that syntactic adaptation of a text would simplify it. This empirical study determined that the complexity of the syntax does not significantly affect the level of reading comprehension. While a complete conceptual and lexical analysis may be necessary for reading comprehension, a thorough syntactic analysis is not. This should be true for both expert and novice readers in a particular professional field, herein computer science. Using American (L1 or E1, English as a native language) and Dutch (L2 or E2, English as a second, nonnative language) computer science and humanities majors reading in EST (English for Science and Technology), it was found that there were no significant differences between subgroups reading an authentic (in original, unadapted form) computer science text and those reading a syntactically adapted text either in comprehension or in time across the four groups of subjects. These results indicate that syntactic simplification of an EST text is not a real simplification. Hence, technical writers and EST teachers might give priority to other more conceptual ways of rewriting texts.     

Do vocabulary,syntactic awareness,and reading comprehension in second language facilitate the development of each other in young children?

This study explored whether children's second language (L2) vocabulary, syntactic awareness, and reading comprehension contributed to the growth of each other. A total of 184 Chinese primary school children (91 girls) aged 8–10 years old in Hong Kong participated in the pre-test of this study. Among them, 88 were in Grade 3 and 96 were in Grade 4. One year later, 178 of these children also participated in the post-test. These children learned English as an L2 at school. They completed a series of English language tasks. The results from a cross-lagged panel model show that vocabulary predicted the growth of syntactic awareness and reading comprehension. Syntactic awareness predicted the growth of vocabulary and reading comprehension. Reading comprehension facilitated the growth of vocabulary, and it also predicted the growth of syntactic awareness in Grade 4 students but not in Grade 3 students. Implications for teaching children an L2 are discussed.     

The comprehension and production of Wh-questions in deaf and hard-of-hearing children

Hearing loss during the critical period for language acquisition restricts spoken language input. This input limitation, in turn, may hamper syntactic development. This study examined the comprehension, production, and repetition of Wh-questions in deaf or hard-of-hearing (DHH) children. The participants were 11 orally trained Hebrew-speaking children aged 9.1-12.4 with moderate-to-profound hearing loss from birth, who consistently used hearing aids or cochlear implants and who had difficulties understanding relative clauses. Experiment 1 tested the comprehension of Wh-questions using a picture selection task, comparing subject with object questions and who- with which-questions; Experiment 2 tested the production of subject and object who-questions using an elicitation task; and Experiment 3 tested the repetition of Wh-questions and other structures derived by Wh-movement. All the DHH participants showed difficulty in the comprehension, production, and repetition of object questions, and their performance was significantly below that of hearing children. In contrast, they repeated embedded sentences without movement well, indicating that their deficit is in syntactic movement rather than embedding or the CP node in the syntactic tree. The results provide additional evidence that DHH children have difficulties with Wh-movement and emphasize that Wh-questions, which are crucial for communication, can be severely impaired in these children.     

Language abilities and progress in a direct instruction reading program for students with learning disabilities

Direct instruction reading programs have been found to be a successful way to teach reading to many, but not all, students with learning disabilities. This study investigated whether reading improvement for students with learning disabilities receiving reading instruction through a direct instruction reading program might be related to their language abilities. The reading progress of 26 students (19 male, 7 female), 7 to 10 years old, was measured over 2 years. In addition, phonological and syntactic abilities were assessed. The results indicated that phonological ability was related to progress in word attack skills and that syntactic ability was related to improvement in comprehension skills. These results have implications for the reading instruction of students with learning disabilities.