Neural correlates of responding to corrective feedback during communicative interaction

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25580121
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Foreign language education
• Research Institution: Miyagi University of Education
• Principal Investigator: Suzuki Wataru 宮城教育大学, 教育学部, 准教授 (60549640)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): JEONG Hyeonjeong 東北大学, 加齢医学研究所, 研究員 (60549054)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 第二言語習得 / フィードバック / 気づき / 自己修正 / コミュニケーション / 左下前頭野 / 補足運動野 / 小脳

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This fMRI study investigated the neural mechanisms underpinning the process by which second language learners receive feedback on erroneous utterances and modify their original utterances. The sample consisted of 30 healthy, right-handed Japanese undergraduate and graduate students with intermediate proficiency in English. Immediately after describing a picture (self-condition) or hearing the other’s utterance (other-condition), participants received feedback from the native listener and responded to it. Both self and other conditions elicited significant activation in the left inferior frontal gyrus. While the self-task elicited significant activation in the supplementary motor area, the premotor area, and the cerebellum, the other-condition elicited significant activation in the anterior cingulate cortex. Responding to feedback may promote not only linguistic processing but also behavioral adaptation and error monitoring.

Free Research Field

外国語教育