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Visual simulations in the two cerebral hemispheres: A bilingual perspective.
1The Program of Cognitive Studies of Language and its Uses, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 6997801 Tel Aviv, Israel; The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Haifa, 199 Aba Khoushy Ave. Mount Carmel, Haifa, Israel.
Brain and Language
|June 5, 2023
Summary
The right hemisphere (RH) constructs visual simulations during reading, regardless of language. However, this RH visual simulation ability is diminished for second language (L2) reading under typical central presentation conditions.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Psycholinguistics
Background:
- Hemispheric specialization in language processing.
- Visual simulation during language comprehension.
- Differences in first language (L1) and second language (L2) processing.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate hemispheric involvement in visual simulations during L1 and L2 reading.
- Determine if visual simulation abilities differ between hemispheres and languages.
- Explore the role of the right hemisphere (RH) in L2 visual simulation.
Main Methods:
- Late bilinguals performed sentence-picture verification tasks.
- Stimuli presented in left/right visual fields (LVF/RVF) to target right/left hemispheres (RH/LH).
- Measured reaction times for shape-matching vs. shape-mismatching picture-sentence pairs.
Main Results:
- A visual shape effect (faster responses for matching shapes) was observed, irrespective of language.
- This shape effect was significant only with left visual field/right hemisphere (LVF/RH) presentation.
- No significant shape effect was found in the right visual field/left hemisphere (RVF/LH).
Conclusions:
- Visual simulations during reading are more likely to occur in the RH than the LH.
- Under central presentation, the RH may be less involved in L2 reading compared to L1 reading.
- Hemispheric roles in visual simulation may differ based on language proficiency and presentation conditions.
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