In this exploratory study, we considered the method of combining eventrelated potentials (ERPs) and source attributions as a means for examining the explicit or implicit nature of second language (L2) knowledge and processing. We recorded electroencephalograms while L2 Spanish participants judged phrase structure and subject-verb agreement sentences and provided source attributions-guess, intuition, memory, rule. The participants evidenced above chance performance and anterior P600 effects to the stimuli overall. We examined whether ERPs differed by explicit (memory, rule) or implicit (guess, intuition) source attributions. Mixed-effects models indicated more positive ERPs when the participants indicated explicit source attributions. Thus, the anterior P600 evidenced in our study seemed to reflect subjectively reported explicit knowledge. Future research will be necessary to reproduce this finding, to understand ERP effects that may be associated with implicit knowledge, and to further explore how ERPs may be triangulated with other types of data to better understand the nature of L2.Versions of this study were presented at the 2018 Cognitive Neuroscience of Second and Artificial Language Learning conference and at the 2019 annual meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society. We thank attendees for their helpful comments on the work. We also thank our participants and the undergraduate research assistants who were invaluable for conducting this study, especially

Understanding what traits facilitate second language (L2) learning has been the focus of many psycholinguistic studies for the last thirty years. One source of insight comes from quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG), i.e., electrical brain activity recorded from the scalp. Using qEEG, Prat et al. [1] found that functional brain connectivity is predictive of language learning ability. This study extends Prat et al. in investigating the predictive validity of qEEG measures for two measures of L2 proficiency, namely: 1. a grammaticality judgement task (GJT), wherein participants read and identified Spanish sentences as either correct or incorrect based on possible grammar violations, and 2. a standardized Spanish proficiency test (DELE). Participants were L2 learners recruited from third- and fourth-semester university Spanish classes. Spectral power and coherence within and across six different regions were analyzed for correlations with either GJT or DELE scores. Follow-up linear regression models based on significant qEEG correlates explained up to 11% of variance in DELE scores but none of the variance in GJT scores. Negative correlations were found between theta frequency coherence and the DELE. Because theta activity has been associated with episodic and working memory performance, these findings suggest that less proficient learners might utilize memory-based strategies more often to compensate for their lack of familiarity with the L2.

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Single-route models of morphosyntax posit that inflected word processing involves associative memory-based storage, whereas dual-route models propose rule-governed composition as an alternative to storage-based mechanisms. We test these accounts via their divergent predictions on whether word frequency affects processing of regular morphosyntactic inflections (as in the single-route model) or not (dual-route model). To date, the only study to test this using electroencephalography (EEG) comes from Allen, Badecker, and Osterhout (2003), who report no interaction between word grammaticality and word frequency. We conceptually replicate and extend Allen et al. (2003) with generalized additive mixed modeling, which retains per-trial and per-time sample information to avoid loss of statistical power from event-related potential-style averaging of trials while avoiding the assumption that the time course of word processing is identical across all words and individuals. In our EEG study, 51 English native speakers read sentences that either did or did not contain a determiner-noun agreement violation (e.g., this school/*schools) or a subject-verb agreement violation (e.g., the child runs/*run) based on a manipulation of a critical word. We follow the generalized additive mixed modeling procedure from prior research, with word frequency in the British National Corpus as a continuous predictor. We replicated Allen et al.’s (2003) reported main effects of frequency and grammaticality. Critically, we found no significant interaction between frequency and grammaticality. These results support Allen et al. (2003) in aligning with the dual-route model's account of composition-like mechanisms in inflected word processing.

This chapter provides an overview of research instruments and technologies that can inform questions about language processing among study abroad learners. Specifically, we consider behavioral, eye-tracking, and electrophysiological methods. For each method, we provide a description of the approach, including how data are collected, analyzed, and interpreted. Then, we summarize findings from research employing the method that includes a study abroad context. Finally, we consider the limitations of the method and gaps in the extant literature, and provide guiding principles for researchers interested in utilizing the technique. The chapter concludes with suggestions for future research and a discussion of the utility of including processing measures in study abroad research to gain a more holistic view of second language development.