{"title":"Language proficiency is associated with neural representational dimensionality of semantic concepts","authors":"Jingxian Zhang, Huiling Li, Jing Qu, Xiaoyu Liu, Xiaoxue Feng, Xin Fu, Leilei Mei","doi":"10.1016/j.bandl.2024.105485","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Previous studies suggest that semantic concepts are characterized by high-dimensional neural representations and that language proficiency affects semantic processing. However, it is not clear whether language proficiency modulates the dimensional representations of semantic concepts at the neural level. To address this question, the present study adopted principal component analysis (PCA) and representational similarity analysis (RSA) to examine the differences in representational dimensionalities (RDs) and in semantic representations between words in highly proficient (Chinese) and less proficient (English) language. PCA results revealed that language proficiency increased the dimensions of lexical representations in the left inferior frontal gyrus, temporal pole, inferior temporal gyrus, supramarginal gyrus, angular gyrus, and fusiform gyrus. RSA results further showed that these regions represented semantic information and that higher semantic representations were observed in highly proficient language relative to less proficient language. These results suggest that language proficiency is associated with the neural representational dimensionality of semantic concepts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55330,"journal":{"name":"Brain and Language","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 105485"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Brain and Language","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0093934X24001081","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"AUDIOLOGY & SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Previous studies suggest that semantic concepts are characterized by high-dimensional neural representations and that language proficiency affects semantic processing. However, it is not clear whether language proficiency modulates the dimensional representations of semantic concepts at the neural level. To address this question, the present study adopted principal component analysis (PCA) and representational similarity analysis (RSA) to examine the differences in representational dimensionalities (RDs) and in semantic representations between words in highly proficient (Chinese) and less proficient (English) language. PCA results revealed that language proficiency increased the dimensions of lexical representations in the left inferior frontal gyrus, temporal pole, inferior temporal gyrus, supramarginal gyrus, angular gyrus, and fusiform gyrus. RSA results further showed that these regions represented semantic information and that higher semantic representations were observed in highly proficient language relative to less proficient language. These results suggest that language proficiency is associated with the neural representational dimensionality of semantic concepts.
期刊介绍:
An interdisciplinary journal, Brain and Language publishes articles that elucidate the complex relationships among language, brain, and behavior. The journal covers the large variety of modern techniques in cognitive neuroscience, including functional and structural brain imaging, electrophysiology, cellular and molecular neurobiology, genetics, lesion-based approaches, and computational modeling. All articles must relate to human language and be relevant to the understanding of its neurobiological and neurocognitive bases. Published articles in the journal are expected to have significant theoretical novelty and/or practical implications, and use perspectives and methods from psychology, linguistics, and neuroscience along with brain data and brain measures.