Ping Li Pennsylvania State University Abstract: In recent years there has been a surge of
interest in using brain networks to understnd changes in cognitive and
linguistic behaviors. This interest, combined with research efforts in the
study of language learning and teaching, has led to promising new findings in the
integration of knowledge about learning, neuroplasticity, and individual
differences. The human brain produces
complex and dynamic time-series big data in response to cognitive and
linguistic tasks, and our ability to analyze these data is critical for insights
into the mind and the brain. In this talk, I briefly review research in this domain,
focusing on language learning and individual differences. Specifically, I ask
how second language experience shapes functional and neuroanatomical networks
on top of one’s experience with a first language, and present evidence based on
our longitudinal and short-term training studies from learners. Our research attempts
to identify (a) how brain networks adapt as a function of linguistic experience
in a new language, (b) how such changes may capture learning success, effectiveness,
and knowledge acquisition in general, and (c) whether such neurocognitive changes
may be predicted based on the learner’s individual cognitive abilities and on big
data from brain responses. Our findings highlight the significance of
individual differences and neuroplasticity in language learning, and the
implications this approach has for understanding the brain-behavior-cognition relationships
more generally. |