The depth of semantic processing modulates cross‐language pattern similarity in Chinese–English bilinguals

Autor: Huiling Li, Ying Cao, Chuansheng Chen, Xiaoyu Liu, Shuo Zhang, Leilei Mei
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Human Brain Mapping. 44:2085-2098
ISSN: 1097-0193
1065-9471
Popis: Previous studies have investigated factors related to the degree of cross-language overlap in brain activations in bilinguals/multilinguals. However, it is still unclear whether and how the depth of semantic processing (a critical task-related factor) affects the neural pattern similarity between native and second languages. To address this question, 26 Chinese-English bilinguals were scanned with fMRI while performing a word naming task (i.e., a task with shallow semantic processing) and a semantic judgment task (i.e., a task with deep semantic processing) in both native and second languages. Based on three sets of representational similarity analysis (whole brain, ROI-based, and within-language vs. cross-language semantic representation), we found that select regions in the reading brain network showed higher cross-language pattern similarity and higher cross-language semantic representations during deep semantic processing than during shallow semantic processing. These results suggest that compared to shallow semantic processing, deep semantic processing may lead to greater language-independent processing (i.e., cross-language semantic representation) and cross-language pattern similarity, and provide direct quantitative neuroimaging evidence for cognitive models of bilingual lexical memory.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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