Kliesch Maria, Giroud Nathalie, Meyer Martin
Division of Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Zurich Center for Linguistics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Brain Plast. 2021 Oct 19;7(2):143-162. doi: 10.3233/BPL-200117. eCollection 2021.
In this pilot study, we evaluated the use of electrophysiological measures at rest as paradigm-independent predictors of second language (L2) development for the first time in older adult learners. We then assessed EEG correlates of the learning outcome in a language-switching paradigm after the training, which to date has only been done in younger adults and at intermediate to advanced L2 proficiency.
Ten (Swiss) German-speaking adults between 65-74 years of age participated in an intensive 3-week English training for beginners. A resting-state EEG was recorded before the training to predict the ensuing L2 development (Experiment 1). A language-switching ERP experiment was conducted after the training to assess the learning outcome (Experiment 2).
All participants improved their L2 skills but differed noticeably in their individual development. Experiment 1 showed that beta1 oscillations at rest (13-14.5 Hz) predicted these individual differences. We interpret resting-state beta1 oscillations as correlates of attentional capacities and semantic working memory that facilitate the extraction and processing of novel forms and meanings from the L2 input.In Experiment 2, we found that language switching from the L2 into the native language (L1) elicited an N400 component, which was reduced in the more advanced learners. Thus, for learners beginning the acquisition of an L2 in third age, language switching appears to become less effortful with increasing proficiency, suggesting that the lexicons of the L1 and L2 become more closely linked.
In sum, our findings extend the available evidence of neurological processes in L2 learning from younger to older adults, suggesting that electrophysiological mechanisms are similar across the lifespan.
在这项初步研究中，我们首次评估了静息状态下的电生理测量方法，作为老年学习者第二语言（L2）发展的范式独立预测指标。然后，我们在训练后的语言切换范式中评估了学习结果的脑电图相关性，迄今为止，这仅在年轻成年人以及L2水平处于中级到高级的人群中进行过。
十名年龄在65 - 74岁之间的说（瑞士）德语的成年人参加了为期3周的针对初学者的强化英语培训。在训练前记录静息态脑电图，以预测随后的L2发展情况（实验1）。训练后进行了语言切换事件相关电位实验，以评估学习结果（实验2）。
所有参与者的L2技能都有所提高，但个体发展存在显著差异。实验1表明，静息状态下的β1振荡（13 - 14.5赫兹）可预测这些个体差异。我们将静息状态下的β1振荡解释为注意力能力和语义工作记忆的相关指标，它们有助于从L2输入中提取和处理新的形式和意义。在实验2中，我们发现从L2切换到母语（L1）会引发一个N400成分，在水平较高的学习者中该成分有所减少。因此，对于在老年阶段开始学习L2的学习者来说，随着熟练程度的提高，语言切换似乎变得不那么费力，这表明L1和L2的词汇联系变得更加紧密。
总之，我们的研究结果扩展了从年轻成年人到老年成年人L2学习中神经过程的现有证据，表明电生理机制在整个生命周期中是相似的。
