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Motor Compatibility Effect on the Comprehension of Complex Manual Action Sentences in L2: An ERP Study

  • Anqi Zang

    Anqi ZANG is PhD Candidate of Psychology at Universidad de La Laguna, in Spain. Her research efforts have been focused on embodiment effects in language and how the brain deals with negation during language processing.

    , Huili Wang

    Huili WANG [corresponding author] is Professor of English at Dalian University of Technology. Her research efforts have been focused on embodied language cognition and sentence processing.

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    , Hanning Guo

    Hanning GUO is Associate Professor of International Education at Dalian University of Technology. Her research interests have been focused on Teaching Chinese as a second language, Chinese for academic purpose, bibliometrics, digital humanities.

    and Yan Wang

    Yan WANG is Associate Professor of Applied Finance & Behavioral Science at Dongbei University of Finance and Economics. Her research efforts have focused on behavioral economics and cognitive neuroscience.

Published/Copyright: May 18, 2022

Abstract

Embodiment theories proposed that the comprehension of language involves sensory-motor simulation in the brain. The present study examined the brain response to motor compatibility effect in comprehending action-related linguistic materials for participants learning Chinese as a second language (L2). In this study, participants are required to read action-related sentences describing an agent performing two manual actions simultaneously or sequentially by manipulating temporal conjunctions. The sentences with simultaneous actions are marked by Chinese parallel structure 一边……一边…… (“while”) showing non-congruent motor condition while the sequential action sentences are marked by 先……然后…… (“after”) showing congruent motor condition. Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) were recorded with the second verb phrase. A larger fronto-central late positivity was observed for the sentences with simultaneous actions rather than the sentences with sequential actions due to body constraints, revealing that late L2 Chinese learners integrate embodied knowledge while processing action-related complex sentence despite demanding more cognitive resources, and longer processing time.

About the authors

Anqi Zang

Anqi ZANG is PhD Candidate of Psychology at Universidad de La Laguna, in Spain. Her research efforts have been focused on embodiment effects in language and how the brain deals with negation during language processing.

Huili Wang

Huili WANG [corresponding author] is Professor of English at Dalian University of Technology. Her research efforts have been focused on embodied language cognition and sentence processing.

Hanning Guo

Hanning GUO is Associate Professor of International Education at Dalian University of Technology. Her research interests have been focused on Teaching Chinese as a second language, Chinese for academic purpose, bibliometrics, digital humanities.

Yan Wang

Yan WANG is Associate Professor of Applied Finance & Behavioral Science at Dongbei University of Finance and Economics. Her research efforts have focused on behavioral economics and cognitive neuroscience.

Acknowledgments

The research was supported by the Research Funds for the School of International Education at Dalian University of Technology (SIE21RZD17).

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Published Online: 2022-05-18
Published in Print: 2022-05-25

© 2022 BFSU, FLTRP, Walter de Gruyter, Cultural and Education Section British Embassy

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