Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 28, 2026
04:30
An Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Ageing on Sentence Processing
Published on: October 25, 2019
6.2K
Age Effects in L2 Grammar Processing as Revealed by ERPs and How (Not) to Study Them
Nienke Meulman1, Martijn Wieling2, Simone A Sprenger1
1Center for Language and Cognition, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Plos One
|December 20, 2015
Summary
Age of acquisition (AoA) impacts second language grammatical processing. Younger learners use different brain responses for gender agreement than older learners, suggesting varied processing strategies.
Area of Science:
- Psycholinguistics
- Neuroscience
- Second Language Acquisition
Background:
- Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) are crucial for understanding grammatical processing in second language (L2) learners.
- Investigating the influence of Age of Acquisition (AoA) on L2 grammatical processing provides insights into neurocognitive mechanisms.
- Traditional ERP analysis often uses categorical groups, potentially overlooking nuanced effects of continuous variables like AoA.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the effect of Age of Acquisition (AoA) on grammatical processing in advanced L2 German learners using ERPs.
- To compare traditional ERP analysis with generalized additive modeling (GAM) for a more comprehensive understanding of AoA effects.
- To investigate how AoA influences the processing of grammatical gender agreement and non-finite verb agreement in L2 German.
Main Methods:
- Sixty-six Slavic advanced learners of German participated in the study.
- Participants listened to German sentences with correct and incorrect grammatical structures (gender agreement, non-finite verbs).
- ERP data were analyzed using both traditional windowed averaging and generalized additive modeling, incorporating continuous AoA and time variables.
Main Results:
- ERP signals varied based on the learner's AoA and the regularity of the grammatical structure.
- For grammatical gender agreement, a shift in processing was observed: younger learners showed a P600, while older learners exhibited a posterior negativity.
- All learners demonstrated a P600 effect for verb agreement, regardless of AoA, but behavioral data suggested less efficient strategies in late learners for certain constructions.
Conclusions:
- AoA significantly modulates grammatical processing in L2 learners, particularly for grammatical gender agreement.
- Generalized additive modeling offers a more sensitive approach to analyzing ERP data, revealing gradual changes related to AoA.
- Late L2 learners may employ less efficient processing strategies for syntactic constructions that differ from their native language, as evidenced by ERPs and behavioral data.
