title: Masked repetition and translation priming in second language learners: a window on the time-course of form and meaning activation using erps.
abstract: Event-related potentials (ERPs) and masked translation priming served to examine the time-course of form and meaning activation during word recognition in second language learners. Targets were repetitions of, translations of, or were unrelated to the immediately preceding prime. In Experiment 1 all targets were in the participants' L2. In Experiment 2 all targets were in the participants' L1. In Exp 1 both within-language repetition and L1-L2 translation priming produced effects on the N250 component and the N400 component. In Experiment 2 only within-language repetition produced N250 effects, while both types of priming produced N400 effects. These results suggest rapid involvement of semantic representations during on-going form-level processing of printed words, and an absence of facilitatory connections between the form representations of non-cognate translation equivalents in L2 learners. The implications for bilingual theories of word processing are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA. kj.midgley@tufts.edu
authors.forename: Katherine J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Midgley
authors.forename: Phillip J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Holcomb
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grainger
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003463:Cues; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D010470:Perceptual Masking / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult