Testing Second Language Oral Proficiency in Direct and Semidirect Settings: A Social-Cognitive Neuroscience Perspective  

Oleh:

Jeong, Hyeonjeong

Jenis: Article from Journal - ilmiah internasional
Dalam koleksi: Language Learning: A Journal of Research in Language Studies (Full Text) vol. 61 no. 3 (2011), page 675-699.
Topik: fMRI; social communication; speaking assessment; face-to-face interaction; computer-based interaction OPI; SOPI
Fulltext: Volume 61, issue 3 (September 2011), p. 675-699.pdf (448.26KB)

Isi artikel

This study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to identify differences in the neural processes underlying direct and semidirect interviews.We examined brain activation patterns while 20 native speakers of Japanese participated in direct and semidirect interviews in both Japanese (first language [L1]) and English (second language [L2]). Significantly greater activation was observed in the regions involved in social communication (the medial prefrontal cortex and the bilateral posterior superior temporal sulci) during the direct interview conducted in the L2 than during the semidirect interview conducted in the L2. In contrast, both the direct and semidirect interviews conducted in the L1 produced similar increases in activation in the same brain areas as those observed during the L2 direct interview. These findings suggest that the direct interview may have elicited L2 communicative ability to a greater degree than the semidirect interview. Furthermore, during the L2 direct interview, activity in the right superior temporal region, which is involved in the processing of paralinguistic features (e.g., prosody and intonation), was positively correlated with increased L2 oral proficiency. Based on our findings, we conclude that the L2 direct interview may elicit more balanced and varied aspects of communicative ability than the L2 semidirect interview.

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