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Related Concept Videos

Language and Cognition01:27

Language and Cognition

460
Language serves as a bridge between ideas and communication, influencing how individuals perceive and interact with the world. Psychologists have long debated whether language shapes thought or vice versa. This discussion gained grip with Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf in the 1940s, who proposed that language determines thought, a concept known as linguistic determinism. They suggested that the vocabulary and structure of a language influence how its speakers think and perceive reality.
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Foreign language learning and the mismatch negativity (MMN): A longitudinal ERP study.

Andreas Højlund1,2,3, Nynne Thorup Horn3, Stine Derdau Sørensen3

  • 1Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN), Aarhus University, Denmark.

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|June 26, 2025
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Summary

Foreign language learning did not alter auditory event-related potential (ERP) sensitivity to sound contrasts. While mismatch negativity (MMN) responses were generally reliable, some diminished over time, with early MMN increases correlating with later listening task success in Dari learners.

Keywords:
Event-related potential (ERP)Foreign language learningLongitudinalMismatch negativity (MMN)Speech perception

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psycholinguistics
  • Auditory Neuroscience

Background:

  • The mismatch negativity (MMN), an early auditory event-related potential (ERP), reflects neural sensitivity to speech sound contrasts.
  • Previous research suggests MMN can adapt to foreign language sounds with specific training, but long-term effects and generalization remain unclear.
  • Longitudinal studies are needed to investigate neural plasticity in foreign language acquisition.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate longitudinal changes in MMN and P3a responses to foreign language sound contrasts during intensive training.
  • To examine the relationship between neural sensitivity (MMN) and behavioral performance in language learning.
  • To determine if neural sensitivity adapts to novel phonemic contrasts in Arabic and Dari learners.

Main Methods:

  • Electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded from cadets learning Arabic (n=8) or Dari (n=12) over 19 months.
  • Participants listened to speech sound contrasts from both native and target languages at four time points.
  • MMN and P3a responses were analyzed, and correlations with behavioral listening tasks were assessed.

Main Results:

  • No language-specific learning effects on MMN were observed between groups.
  • Reliable MMNs were elicited for both sound contrasts in both groups across most measurements.
  • Arabic learners' MMNs to Arabic stimuli decreased over time; Dari learners' P3a responses to Arabic stimuli also diminished.
  • Early MMN increases to Dari stimuli in the first three weeks correlated with higher later listening task scores for Dari learners.

Conclusions:

  • Intensive foreign language training did not induce specific MMN changes related to the target language.
  • Auditory ERPs like MMN and P3a showed dynamic changes over time, but not always in line with target language acquisition.
  • While direct neurophysiological-behavioral links were weak, early MMN changes may predict later language learning success.