title: Integration of moral values during L2 sentence processing.
abstract: This study reports an event-related potential (ERP) experiment examining whether valuation (i.e., one's own values) is integrated incrementally and whether it affects L2 speakers' online interpretation of the sentence. We presented Spanish native speakers and French-Spanish mid-proficiency late L2 speakers with visual sentences containing value-consistent and value-inconsistent statements (e.g., 'Nowadays, paedophilia should be prohibited/tolerated across the world.'). Participants' brain activity was recorded as they were reading the sentences and indicating whether they agreed with the statements or not. Behaviourally, the two groups revealed identical valuation. The ERP analyses showed both a semantic (N400) and an affect-related response (LPP) to value-inconsistent statements in the native group, but only an LPP in the non-native group. These results suggest that valuation is integrated online (presence of LPP) during L2 sentence comprehension but that it does not interfere with semantic processing (absence of N400).
authors.affiliation: University Pompeu Fabra, carrer Roc Boronat, 138, 08018 Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: alfoucart@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Foucart
authors.affiliation: Instituto Pluridisciplinar, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Paseo Juan XXIII, 1, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Moreno
authors.affiliation: BCBL, Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, Paseo Mikeletegi, 69, 20009 Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain; IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Maria Diaz de Haro 3, 48013 Bilbao, Spain.
authors.forename: Clara D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: University Pompeu Fabra, carrer Roc Boronat, 138, 08018 Barcelona, Spain; ICREA, Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Costa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D032882:Comprehension; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D009014:Morals; D011932:Reading; D012945:Social Values; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: ERPs; Moral values; Second language sentence comprehension; Semantic processing