Neural bases of Syntactic Priming in Action/Non-Action Related Second Language Production (Preliminary Study)

Introduction Action and object-related sentences are processed through different brain networks. This diversity potentially results from syntactic roles on action and object (as verb and noun, respectively) [۱][۲][۳]. To study the effect of such diverging types, we evaluated action and object-related sentence productions. We additionally studied the effect of syntactic priming on object/action sentence production. We aimed at investigating whether these two sentence types(ST) are primed differentially using behavioral and electrical neuroimaging using EEG.Method For this aim, we recorded EEG of ۱۴English language-learners (Right-handed, Upper/Intermediate) while doing a picture description task. The task included ۴conditions: Object and Action picture description with and without syntactic priming. Subjects were instructed to produce a single sentence to describe the presented picture. The EEG was recorded continuously using ۶۴-channel EEG. Data on response accuracy and response time were analyzed using a ۲*۲ repeated measures ANOVA using ST(Action vs Object) * Prime (Primed vs Non-Primed). Topographic and global filed power analyses of event-related potentials were performed using the same design to compare neural activity in response to different task conditions.Results Our behavioral results confirmed main effect of priming in both response accuracy (F(۱,۱۳)=۶.۰۱, p=۰.۰۳) and response times(F(۱,۱۳)=۱۳.۶, p=۰.۰۰۳) (better performance in primed conditions). Neither the main effect of ST nor interaction between ST and Prime was seen (Figures ۱). Our EEG topographic analyses revealed a significant main effect of ST at around ۳۰۰ms post-stimulus onset. There was also a main effect of Prime during the whole post-stimulus onset-timeperiod. These results represent different brain areas involved in processing Action vs Object description in a time window related to stimulus evaluation and categorization (the same time window as P۳۰۰).Conclusions Our preliminary results suggest that one possible source of difference between action/object description at EEG level is related to processing steps related to stimulus categorization and decision making.