Word-picture Matching Research Articles

The impact of language proficiency on neuro-cognitive mechanisms supporting second-language spoken word recognition: an ERP study on Chinese-English bilinguals

ABSTRACT The aim of the present study is to investigate the impact of proficiency in the second language (L2) on the neurocognitive processes that support the recognition of spoken words. Chinese native learners of English (N = 34) took part in the picture-word matching task and the AX Continuous Performance Test (AX-CPT). In the picture-word matching task, the component amplitudes for P50, N120, and P200 were found to be lower in the low proficiency group compared to the high proficiency group. Regarding the AX-CPT, the high-proficiency group exhibited a more balanced utilisation of proactive and reactive control, whereas the low-proficiency group displayed a greater reliance on proactive control. Additionally, a correlation was observed between various ERP components from the picture-word matching task and behavioural indicators obtained from the AX-CPT, suggesting different strategies of cognitive control may reflect the influence of language proficiency on neurocognitive mechanisms in spoken word recognition.

Targeted language training combined with transcranial direct current therapy for Wernicke aphasia in the sequelae stage: A case report

ObjectiveTo observe the effects of combining targeted language training with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on speech rehabilitation in senile stroke patients with Wernicke's aphasia in the sequelae stage. MethodsA patient with Wernicke's aphasia caused by stroke, 15 months prior, was successively treated with regimen A (targeted language training), regimen B (L-Wernicke area tDCS + targeted language training), and regimen C (R-Wernicke area tDCS + targeted language training) for a total of 3 weeks, with a 2-day washout period between each regimen. The accuracy of spontaneous speech, auditory word-picture matching, visual word-picture matching, retelling, graph-reading writing, and graph-reading naming items was evaluated and compared before treatment and 3 weeks after treatment with regimens A, B, and C. ResultsAfter 3 weeks of the regimen A treatment, there was no significant improvement in each evaluation item. After 3 weeks of treatment with regimen B, the patient's spontaneous speech slightly improved, but the expression remained meaningless. Visual word-graph matching was slightly improved, but auditory word-graph matching was not. After 3 weeks of treatment with regimen C, the spontaneous speech of the patient's increased significantly, and the correct rates of auditory word-graph matching, visual word-graph matching, retelling, and picture reading and writing were significantly improved compared with those before treatment and after 3 weeks of treatment with regimens A and B (P < 0.05). ConclusionsTargeted language training combined with tDCS stimulation of the non-dominant Wernicke's area can improve spontaneous speech, auditory word-picture matching, visual word-picture matching, retelling, and picture reading and writing ability in elderly patients with Wernicke's aphasia after stroke, thus promoting speech rehabilitation.

Production rather than observation: comparison between the roles of embodiment and conceptual metaphor in L2 lexical tone learning

BackgroundIt remains unclear how embodiment and conceptual metaphor play a role in second language (L2) lexical tone learning. AimsThe present study aimed to examine the roles of pitch gesture production (PP), pitch feature observation (PO), and word-picture association (WA) approach in L2 lexical tone learning. SampleParticipants were 90 undergraduate students with Mandarin as their native language. MethodsParticipants learned Thai lexical tones via the three approaches and completed tone discrimination, tone identification, and word-picture matching tasks. ResultsThe PP performed better than the PO and WA in discriminating between and identifying specific tones. The PP was more accurate than the WA in word-picture matching. ConclusionsThe pitch gesture production's embodiment was superior to the pitch feature observation's conceptual metaphor in learning L2 lexical tones. However, its role was affected by lexical tones' pitch features, test tasks, and learners' tonal experience.

Processing of Synonyms and Homographs in Bilingual and Monolingual Speakers.

Bilinguals have long-lasting experience with cross-language double-mappings (i.e., translation equivalents and interlingual homographs (or false friends)). Considering this, we examined whether bilinguals differ from monolinguals in within-language double-mapping (i.e., synonyms and homographs) processing. Across two experiments, we compared performances from Spanish monolinguals and Spanish-Basque bilinguals on a behavioral picture-word matching task. The words were all presented in Spanish, the native language of all participants. Participants responded to synonyms and homographs (both double-mappings) or single-mappings (controls). The reaction times in both experiments showed clear and significant costs in processing within-language double-mapping stimuli, as well as intrinsic differences in processing homographs versus synonyms. However, these effects did not differ between bilinguals and monolinguals. The present findings thus suggest that the bilinguals' extensive experience with cross-linguistic double-mappings does not transfer onto within-language double-mapping processing.

Clinical Manifestations.

Semantic cognition requires both semantic representation (conceptual knowledge), and semantic control (the ability to shape and manipulate information for a particular context/task) (Lambon Ralph, Jefferies, Patterson, & Rogers, 2017). Prior investigations have contrasted the semantic representation loss in semantic dementia with semantic control deficits in post-stroke semantic aphasia (SA) (Jefferies & Lambon Ralph, 2006; Thompson et al., 2022). The logopenic variant of primary progressive aphasia (lvPPA) has neuroanatomical commonalities with SA, including damage centred on the left temporoparietal and inferior frontal regions, and neuropsychological commonalities including executive and language impairments. Accordingly, we investigated whether lvPPA impairs semantic control. We compared 12 individuals with lvPPA, 9 with typical amnestic Alzheimer's disease (AD), and 12 age-matched healthy controls on a battery of verbal and non-verbal semantic, language, memory and executive functioning tests. The lvPPA patients spanned multiple levels of performance across the different tests and showed the characteristic features of a semantic control deficit: (i) They showed impairments in tests that require greater semantic demand (e.g., semantic association knowledge test more than straightforward word-picture matching); (ii) only lvPPA patients showed strong correlations between semantic and executive tests; (iii) an effect of item familiarity was not found in lvPPA patients; and (iv) both lvPPA and AD patients benefited from phonemic cueing on the Boston Naming Test. LvPPA patients' performance on semantic tests is similar to that of previously reported SA, suggesting an impairment of semantic control. Imaging analysis is underway and will be available at the AAIC conference.

Examining Conjoint Behavioral Consultation to Support 2e-Autism Spectrum Disorder and Gifted Students in Preschool with Academic and Behavior Concerns.

Conjoint behavioral consultation (CBC), as adjusted for 2e children with academic and behavioral difficulties, was the focus of this single-subject design study. Three young children from a preschool participated, together with their parents and teachers. Academic enablers for students-intervention, maintenance, and generalization phases; academic and behavioral competencies-intervention, maintenance, and generalization phases; and teachers', parents', and students' perceptions of the intervention's social validity data were collected among the outcome measures. Findings from multiple participant-related probes pointed to constructive improvements in the phases of intervention, maintenance for listening behavior, and improved on-task skill in intervention, maintenance, and generalization. Additionally, during the consultation, parents and teachers noted improvements in the outcomes of the target behavior such as rhythm keeping, picture-word matching, writing the pictured concept in Turkish, writing the pictured concept in English, short personal story writing, short personal story telling, and verbal math problem solving, and each stakeholder gave the intervention a grade for its social validity. Limitations, potential routes for future study, and implications for preschool CBC intervention are highlighted.

The Role of the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex in the Production and Comprehension of Phonologically and Semantically Related Words.

Previous studies suggest that producing and comprehending semantically related words relies on inhibitory control over competitive lexical selection which results in the recruitment of the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). Few studies, however, have examined the involvement of other regions of the frontal cortex, such as the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), despite its role in cognitive control related to lexical processing. The primary objective of this study was to elucidate the role of the DLPFC in the production and comprehension of semantically and phonologically related words in blocked cyclic naming and picture-word matching paradigms. Twenty-one adults participated in neuroimaging with functional near-infrared spectroscopy to measure changes in oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin concentrations across the bilateral frontal cortex during blocked cyclic picture naming and blocked cyclic picture-word-matching tasks. After preprocessing, oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin concentrations were obtained for each task (production, comprehension), condition (semantic, phonological) and region (DLPFC, IFG). The results of pairwise t-tests adjusted for multiple comparisons showed significant increases in oxygenated hemoglobin concentration over baseline in the bilateral DLPFC during picture naming for phonologically related words. For picture-word matching, we found significant increases in oxygenated hemoglobin concentration over baseline in the right DLPFC for semantically related words and in the right IFG for phonologically related words. We discuss the results in light of the inhibitory attentional control over competitive lexical access theory in contrast to alternative potential explanations for the findings.

Gendered Representations of Person Referents Activated by the Nonbinary Gender Star in German: A Word-Picture Matching Task

ABSTRACT The public debate on the use of the German nonbinary gender asterisk (Lehrer*in ‘teacher’) is emotionally charged. While it has been adopted by political and educational institutions, opponents argue that it is inappropriate for making persons identifying themselves beyond the male-female-dichotomy more visible. We investigated this claim by using a word-picture matching task directly assessing mental representations activated by the asterisk. Students evaluated whether pictures of persons read as male, female, or nonbinary were suitable illustrations of immediately preceding role nouns in masculine, feminine, or star form. Processing difficulties for female pictures following masculine nouns confirmed that the latter was not automatically read as generic. High acceptance rates and low reaction times for all pictures following the asterisk suggest it leads to inclusive mental representations including men, women, and persons beyond the gender binary. These results are the first to confirm that the asterisk elicits the intended inclusive interpretation.

Word-centred neglect dyslexia as an inhibitional deficit: A single case study

Word-centred neglect dyslexia is most commonly characterised as consequence of visuospatial neglect rather than an independent condition. However, recent research has suggested that this deficit may be dissociable from spatial attentional biases. This study aims to provide preliminary evidence investigating alternative mechanisms which could account for cases of word-centred neglect dyslexia which cannot be explained by visuospatial neglect.Patient EF is a chronic stroke survivor who presented with clear right-lateralised word-centred neglect dyslexia in conjunction with severe left egocentric neglect and left hemianopia following a right PCA stroke. The severity of EF's neglect dyslexia was not found to be affected by factors which modulate the severity of visuospatial neglect. EF demonstrated an intact ability to identify all letters in words, but reliably committed neglect dyslexia errors when subsequently reading the same words as a whole. EF did not exhibit neglect dyslexic impairment in standardised spelling, word-meaning matching, and word-picture matching tasks. Critically, EF exhibited marked cognitive inhibition impairment and committed neglect dyslexia errors which were characterised by misreading less familiar target words as more familiar responses.This behavioural pattern cannot be clearly accounted for by theories which characterize word-centred neglect dyslexia as a consequence of neglect. Instead, this data suggests that this case of word-centred neglect dyslexia may be related to a deficit of cognitive inhibition. Overall, these novel findings call for reevaluation of the dominant model of word-centred neglect dyslexia.

Modulations of right hemisphere connectivity in young children relates to the perception of spoken words

The early school years shape a young brain's capability to comprehend and contextualize words within milliseconds of exposure. Parsing word sounds (phonological interpretation) and word recognition (enabling semantic interpretation) are integral to this process. Yet little is known about the causal mechanisms of cortical activity during these early developmental stages. In this study, we aimed to explore these causal mechanisms via dynamic causal modelling of event-related potentials (ERPs) acquired from 30 typically developing children (ages 6–8 years) as they completed a spoken word-picture matching task. Source reconstruction of high-density electroencephalography (128 channels) was used to ascertain differences in whole-brain cortical activity during semantically “congruent” and “incongruent” conditions. Source activations analyzed during the N400 ERP window identified significant regions-of-interest (pFWE<.05) localized primarily in the right hemisphere when contrasting congruent and incongruent word-picture stimuli. Dynamic causal models (DCMs) were tested on source activations in the fusiform gyrus (rFusi), inferior parietal lobule (rIPL), inferior temporal gyrus (rITG) and superior frontal gyrus (rSFG). DCM results indicated that a fully connected bidirectional model with self-(inhibiting) connections over rFusi, rIPL and rSFG provided the highest model evidence, based on exceedance probabilities derived from Bayesian statistical inferences. Connectivity parameters of rITG and rSFG regions from the winning DCM were negatively correlated with behavioural measures of receptive vocabulary and phonological memory (pFDR<.05), such that lower scores on these assessments corresponded with increased connectivity between temporal pole and anterior frontal regions. The findings suggest that children with lower language processing skills required increased recruitment of right hemisphere frontal/temporal areas during task performance.

Effect of learning methods and cognitive characteristics on preschoolers' online English attainment.

This research aims to explore the online English learning effects among preschoolers with different cognitive characteristics influenced by different learning methods and the interaction between cognitive characteristics and learning methods. Data are collected by using two 3 × 3 between-subject experiments. Wherein, 248 participants based on Embedded Figure Test are divided into Field Independence (FID), Field Mixed (FM), and Field Dependence (FM) in Study 1, while 247 participants based on the Go-No-Go task are divided into Higher self-control (HSC), Middle self-control (MSC), Lower self-control (LSC) in Study 2. Then, through random assignment, all participants enter three learning method groups, restudy (RS), restudy plus test (RST), and restudy plus test plus feedback (RSTF). In addition, all children were allowed to learn online on the iPad to test their learning outcomes by word recognition, picture-word matching, and picture book recognition tests. As seen from the results, FID children performed better than FM and FD children, but their learning outcomes were not affected by the learning methods. FM and FD children performed better when adopting the RSTF learning method. However, for children with different levels of self-control, no differences are found despite their learning methods. Given the above, the "fit/match" between children's cognitive style and online learning methods are effective in maximizing learning effects for preschoolers.

Verb production and comprehension in primary progressive aphasia

Studies of word class processing have found verb retrieval impairments in individuals with primary progressive aphasia (Bak et al., 2001; Cappa et al., 1998; Cotelli et al., 2006; Hillis, Heidler-Gary, et al., 2006; Hillis, Oh, & Ken, 2004; Marcotte et al., 2014; Rhee, Antiquena, & Grossman, 2001; Silveri & Ciccarelli, 2007; Thompson, Lukic, et al., 2012) associated primarily with the agrammatic variant. However, fewer studies have focused on verb comprehension, with inconsistent results. Because verbs are critical to both production and comprehension of clauses and sentences, we investigated verb processing across domains in agrammatic, logopenic, and semantic PPA and a group of age-matched healthy controls. Participants completed a confrontation naming task for verb production and an eye-tracking word-picture matching task for online verb comprehension. All PPA groups showed impaired verb production and comprehension relative to healthy controls. Most notably, the PPA-S group performed more poorly than the other two PPA variants in both domains. Overall, the results indicate that semantic deficits in the PPA-S extend beyond object knowledge to verbs as well, adding to our knowledge concerning the nature of the language deficits in the three variants of primary progressive aphasia.

The Role of Language Switching During Cross-Talk Between Bilingual Language Control and Domain-General Conflict Monitoring.

The relationship between bilingual language control and executive control is debated. The present study investigated the effect of short-term language switching in a comprehension task on executive control performance in unbalanced bilinguals. Participants were required to perform a context task and an executive control task (i.e., flanker task) in sequence. A picture-word matching task created different language contexts in Experiment 1 (i.e., L1, L2, and dual-language contexts). By modifying the color-shape switching task, we created different contexts that do not involve language processing in Experiment 2 (i.e., color, shape, and dual context). Experiment 1 showed overall faster responses (in both congruent and incongruent trials) in the flanker task after a language switching context than after single (L1 or L2) contexts. This suggests that the language switching in a comprehension task affected general monitoring performance. By contrast, the nonlinguistic contexts in Experiment 2 did not affect flanker performance. This provides further evidence for the crucial role of language processing during switching to elicit short-term adaptions on domain-general conflict monitoring. Overall, our findings add to the previous studies by showing cross-talk between bilingual language control and domain-general conflict monitoring when language switching occurs in a comprehension task.

Orthographic facilitation of oral vocabulary acquisition in primary school children.

Children's oral vocabulary acquisition is an important aspect of language development that plays a crucial role in reading and literacy development and subsequent academic success. Therefore, it is important to identify and implement evidence-based effective strategies of vocabulary instruction for primary school children. Orthographic facilitation refers to the benefit afforded to word learning by incidentally presenting spellings when new words are introduced. This study aimed to replicate the orthographic facilitation effect in primary school (Grades 1-6) children and further assess whether children in different grades benefitted differently from the presence of orthography during spoken word learning. To do this, 91 children from Grades 1 to 6 were taught novel picture-word pairs with or without spellings. Word learning was assessed during and after training using behavioural and eye-tracking data from picture-naming and picture-word-matching (PWM) tasks. Irrespective of grade, all children experienced a significant orthographic facilitation effect during training. The post-training results were more task dependent with all grades showing a significant orthographic facilitation effect on the picture-naming task, and only Grades 1 to 4 showing a facilitation effect on the PWM task. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Reevaluating the Language of Learning Advantage in Bilingual Arithmetic: An ERP Study on Spoken Multiplication Verification.

Many studies of bilingual arithmetic report better performance when verifying arithmetic facts in the language of learning (LA+) over the other language (LA−). This could be due to language-specific memory representations, processes established during learning, or to language and task factors not related to math. The current study builds on a small number of event-related potential (ERP) studies to test this question while controlling language proficiency and eliminating potential task confounds. Adults proficient in two languages verified single-digit multiplications presented as spoken number words in LA+ and LA−, separately. ERPs and correctness judgments were measured from solution onset. Equivalent P300 effects, with larger positive amplitude for correct than incorrect solutions, were observed in both languages (Experiment 1A), even when stimuli presentation rate was shortened to increase difficulty (Experiment 1B). This effect paralleled the arithmetic correctness effect for trials presented as all digits (e.g., 2 4 8 versus 2 4 10), reflecting efficient categorization of the solutions, and was distinct from an N400 generated in a word–picture matching task, reflecting meaning processing (Experiment 2). The findings reveal that the language effects on arithmetic are likely driven by language and task factors rather than differences in memory representation in each language.

Investigating the Link Between Linguistic and Non-Linguistic Cognitive Control in Bilinguals Using Laplacian-Transformed Event Related Potentials.

Bilinguals’ need to suppress the activation of their other language while speaking has been proposed to result in enhanced cognitive control abilities outside of language. Several studies therefore suggest shared cognitive control processes across linguistic and non-linguistic tasks. Here we investigate this potential overlap using scalp electroencephalographic recordings and the Laplacian transformation, providing an estimation of the current source density and enabling the separation of EEG components in space. Fourteen Spanish-English bilinguals performed a picture-word matching task contrasting incongruent trials using cross-linguistic false cognates (e.g., a picture – foot, overlaid with distractor text: the English word PIE, i.e., the false cognate for the Spanish pie meaning “foot”) with congruent trials (matching English picture names and words, i.e., a picture – foot, with overlaid text: the English word FOOT), and an unrelated control condition. In addition, participants performed an arrow-version of the Eriksen flanker task. Worse behavioral performance was observed in incongruent compared to congruent trials in both tasks. In the non-linguistic task, we replicated the previously observed congruency effect on a medial-frontal event-related potential (ERP) peaking around 50 ms before electromyography (EMG) onset. A similar ERP was present in the linguistic task, was sensitive to congruency, and peaked earlier, around 150 ms before EMG onset. In addition, another component was found in the linguistic task at a left lateralized anterior frontal site peaking around 200 ms before EMG onset, but was absent in the non-linguistic task. Our results suggest a partial overlap between linguistic and non-linguistic cognitive control processes and that linguistic conflict resolution may engage additional left anterior frontal control processes.

Word form processing at school age: Evidence for similarities between bilingual and monolingual children

AbstractThe present study aimed to explore the lexical processing abilities of bilingual school-aged children compared to their monolingual peers. Therefore, word form processing tasks (auditory lexical decision, rapid naming, rhyming), as well as traditional vocabulary tasks (word-picture matching and picture naming), were conducted in a cross-sectional design in a sample of 163 German monolingual and 39 bilingual primary school children (6-9 years), speaking German and another language. Regression analyses revealed that age, gender, and vocabulary size, but not bilingualism have an impact on performance in word form processing tasks. Group comparisons after propensity matching on age, gender, and vocabulary size revealed no significant group differences between monolingual and bilingual children in word form processing tasks. After the sample was divided into two age groups, bilingual children showed an initial weakness at ages 6 to 7 that seems to be overcome during primary school age.

IMPROVING READING ABILITY OF CLASS II STUDENTS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TIPAR IN LEARNING LANGUAGE ABILITIES THROUGH IMAGE MEDIA

This study aims to explain about learning to read beginners using picture media classically and in groups and the process of increasing students' reading skills. Achieve this goal, classroom action research was conducted, with assistance of classroom teachers and 30 students of SDN TIPAR. Research data obtained by qualitative methods, observation and assisted by a recording aid in form of a camera. This research was conducted with two cycles of action. First cycle tends to increase participation and reading ability in word card and picture matching games. and the second cycle on reading improvement. Each cycle consists of stages: preparation, action, action, observation, analysis and reflection. The results of this study indicate that learning to read beginning with picture media classically students who lack courage tend to be passive so that when teacher assigns students to match word cards with pictures the students do not want to and the attention of some students is less focused in this learning and their reading ability is still dominated by active students. Learning the ability to read using picture media in groups, students are invited to play a game of matching word cards with pictures and their own friends and teacher acts as a facilitator and motivator. Student creativity, student shyness can be overcome and students' reading ability can be improved and the learning atmosphere is more attractive.

IMPROVING READING ABILITY OF CLASS II STUDENTS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TIPAR IN LEARNING LANGUAGE ABILITIES THROUGH IMAGE MEDIA

This study aims to explain about learning to read beginners using picture media classically and in groups and the process of increasing students' reading skills. Achieve this goal, classroom action research was conducted, with assistance of classroom teachers and 30 students of SDN TIPAR. Research data obtained by qualitative methods, observation and assisted by a recording aid in form of a camera. This research was conducted with two cycles of action. First cycle tends to increase participation and reading ability in word card and picture matching games. and the second cycle on reading improvement. Each cycle consists of stages: preparation, action, action, observation, analysis and reflection. The results of this study indicate that learning to read beginning with picture media classically students who lack courage tend to be passive so that when teacher assigns students to match word cards with pictures the students do not want to and the attention of some students is less focused in this learning and their reading ability is still dominated by active students. Learning the ability to read using picture media in groups, students are invited to play a game of matching word cards with pictures and their own friends and teacher acts as a facilitator and motivator. Student creativity, student shyness can be overcome and students' reading ability can be improved and the learning atmosphere is more attractive.

A category-selective semantic memory deficit for animate objects in semantic variant primary progressive aphasia.

Data are mixed on whether patients with semantic variant primary progressive aphasia exhibit a category-selective semantic deficit for animate objects. Moreover, there is little consensus regarding the neural substrates of this category-selective semantic deficit, though prior literature has suggested that the perirhinal cortex and the lateral posterior fusiform gyrus may support semantic memory functions important for processing animate objects. In this study, we investigated whether patients with semantic variant primary progressive aphasia exhibited a category-selective semantic deficit for animate objects in a word-picture matching task, controlling for psycholinguistic features of the stimuli, including frequency, familiarity, typicality and age of acquisition. We investigated the neural bases of this category selectivity by examining its relationship with cortical atrophy in two primary regions of interest: bilateral perirhinal cortex and lateral posterior fusiform gyri. We analysed data from 20 patients with semantic variant primary progressive aphasia (mean age = 64 years, S.D. = 6.94). For each participant, we calculated an animacy index score to denote the magnitude of the category-selective semantic deficit for animate objects. Multivariate regression analysis revealed a main effect of animacy (β = 0.52, t = 4.03, P < 0.001) even after including all psycholinguistic variables in the model, such that animate objects were less likely to be identified correctly relative to inanimate objects. Inspection of each individual patient’s data indicated the presence of a disproportionate impairment in animate objects in most patients. A linear regression analysis revealed a relationship between the right perirhinal cortex thickness and animacy index scores (β = −0.57, t = −2.74, P = 0.015) such that patients who were more disproportionally impaired for animate relative to inanimate objects exhibited thinner right perirhinal cortex. A vertex-wise general linear model analysis restricted to the temporal lobes revealed additional associations between positive animacy index scores (i.e. a disproportionately poorer performance on animate objects) and cortical atrophy in the right perirhinal and entorhinal cortex, superior, middle, and inferior temporal gyri, and the anterior fusiform gyrus, as well as the left anterior fusiform gyrus. Taken together, our results indicate that a category-selective semantic deficit for animate objects is a characteristic feature of semantic variant primary progressive aphasia that is detectable in most individuals. Our imaging findings provide further support for the role of the right perirhinal cortex and other temporal lobe regions in the semantic processing of animate objects.