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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 17, 2026

A Semantic Priming Event-related Potential (ERP) Task to Study Lexico-semantic and Visuo-semantic Processing in Autism Spectrum Disorder

A Semantic Priming Event-related Potential (ERP) Task to Study Lexico-semantic and Visuo-semantic Processing in Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Semantic processing in native and second language: evidence from hemispheric differences in fine and coarse semantic

Miriam Faust¹, Elisheva Ben-Artzi, Nili Vardi

¹Department of Psychology and Gonda Brain-Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Israel.

Brain and Language

|October 27, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The right hemisphere (RH) shows coarse semantic coding for native languages, but this ability is significantly weaker for non-native languages. This suggests hemispheric differences in processing semantic information based on language proficiency.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Psycholinguistics
Cognitive Science

Background:

The left hemisphere (LH) is traditionally associated with fine semantic processing.
The right hemisphere (RH) is implicated in coarse semantic coding, including figurative language and humor.
Hemispheric involvement in semantic processing may differ between native and non-native languages.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate hemispheric patterns in fine and coarse semantic processing.
To compare semantic processing in native versus non-native languages.
To examine the role of the right hemisphere in non-native language semantic coding.

Main Methods:

Utilized a split visual field priming paradigm.
Participants performed lexical decision judgments on Hebrew (native) and English (non-native) target words.
Primes were strongly, weakly, or unrelated to target words.

Main Results:

A priming effect for weakly-related word pairs was observed in the RH for native Hebrew targets.
No significant priming effect for weakly-related pairs was found in either hemisphere for non-native English targets.
Coarse semantic coding appears diminished in a non-native language compared to a native language.

Conclusions:

The right hemisphere's role in coarse semantic coding is language-dependent.
Semantic processing, particularly coarse coding, is less robust in non-native languages.
Hemispheric specialization for language may be influenced by language acquisition and proficiency.