{"id":{"repo_id":"uwo","oai_identifier":"oai:uwo.scholaris.ca:20.500.14721/36282"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uwo/oai:uwo.scholaris.ca:20.500.14721/36282","repository":{"repo_id":"uwo","name":"Western University","base_url":"https://uwo.scholaris.ca/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"The influence of proficiency and age of acquisition on second language processing: An fMRI study of Mandarin-English bilinguals","abstract":"Research investigating the neural correlates of second language (L2) processing has usually studied age of acquisition (AoA) and proficiency separately. Presently, we examined both in parallel, treated as continuous variables. We used fMRI to study neural activity for L2 processing in adult native Mandarin speakers who are L2 English speakers. Behavioral measures of language proficiency and AoA were obtained from subjects prior to performing a picture-word matching task during an fMRI scan. Brain activity during L2 English processing was shown to be independently affected by AoA and proficiency; activity in left superior temporal gyrus and right parahippocampal gyrus was modulated by AoA when L2 proficiency is accounted for, while activity in right insula, right middle temporal gyrus, and left parahippocampal gyrus was modulated by L2 proficiency regardless of AoA. These results suggest that brain organization of L2 lexico-semantic processing is susceptible to L2 ability levels as well as age-dependent learning.","abstract_html":"Research investigating the neural correlates of second language (L2) processing has usually studied age of acquisition (AoA) and proficiency separately. Presently, we examined both in parallel, treated as continuous variables. We used fMRI to study neural activity for L2 processing in adult native Mandarin speakers who are L2 English speakers. Behavioral measures of language proficiency and AoA were obtained from subjects prior to performing a picture-word matching task during an fMRI scan. Brain activity during L2 English processing was shown to be independently affected by AoA and proficiency; activity in left superior temporal gyrus and right parahippocampal gyrus was modulated by AoA when L2 proficiency is accounted for, while activity in right insula, right middle temporal gyrus, and left parahippocampal gyrus was modulated by L2 proficiency regardless of AoA. These results suggest that brain organization of L2 lexico-semantic processing is susceptible to L2 ability levels as well as age-dependent learning.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Nichols, Emily S"],"institution":"The University of Western Ontario","degree_name":"M Sc","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":"Psychology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Marc Joanisse"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2013,"date_issued":"2013-07-30","date_published":"2013-07-30","updated_at":"2026-07-27T21:55:59Z","subjects":["Language","second language","bilingualism","fMRI","proficiency","age of acquisition"],"languages":["en_ca"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14721/36282","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Marc Joanisse"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Nichols, Emily S"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2025-07-10T21:20:46Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2025-07-10T21:20:46Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2013-07-30"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["The University of Western Ontario"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Psychology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M Sc"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Language","second language","bilingualism","fMRI","proficiency","age of acquisition"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en_ca"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14721/36282"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["The thesis cover page in the PDF document includes references to Western University’s previous institutional repository platform, known as Scholarship@Western, and links to that platform (beginning with ir.lib.uwo.ca). In citing or referring to this thesis, use the DOI or handle from this page instead. Sample citation: Author name, \"Thesis title.\" (Year). Western University Open Repository. https://doi.org/10.71858/123456."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Research investigating the neural correlates of second language (L2) processing has usually studied age of acquisition (AoA) and proficiency separately. Presently, we examined both in parallel, treated as continuous variables. We used fMRI to study neural activity for L2 processing in adult native Mandarin speakers who are L2 English speakers. Behavioral measures of language proficiency and AoA were obtained from subjects prior to performing a picture-word matching task during an fMRI scan. Brain activity during L2 English processing was shown to be independently affected by AoA and proficiency; activity in left superior temporal gyrus and right parahippocampal gyrus was modulated by AoA when L2 proficiency is accounted for, while activity in right insula, right middle temporal gyrus, and left parahippocampal gyrus was modulated by L2 proficiency regardless of AoA. These results suggest that brain organization of L2 lexico-semantic processing is susceptible to L2 ability levels as well as age-dependent learning."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The influence of proficiency and age of acquisition on second language processing: An fMRI study of Mandarin-English bilinguals"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Marc Joanisse"],"dc:creator":["Nichols, Emily S"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2025-07-10T21:20:46Z"],"dc:date.available":["2025-07-10T21:20:46Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2013-07-30"],"dc:description":["The thesis cover page in the PDF document includes references to Western University’s previous institutional repository platform, known as Scholarship@Western, and links to that platform (beginning with ir.lib.uwo.ca). In citing or referring to this thesis, use the DOI or handle from this page instead. Sample citation: Author name, \"Thesis title.\" (Year). Western University Open Repository. https://doi.org/10.71858/123456."],"dc:description.abstract":["Research investigating the neural correlates of second language (L2) processing has usually studied age of acquisition (AoA) and proficiency separately. Presently, we examined both in parallel, treated as continuous variables. We used fMRI to study neural activity for L2 processing in adult native Mandarin speakers who are L2 English speakers. Behavioral measures of language proficiency and AoA were obtained from subjects prior to performing a picture-word matching task during an fMRI scan. Brain activity during L2 English processing was shown to be independently affected by AoA and proficiency; activity in left superior temporal gyrus and right parahippocampal gyrus was modulated by AoA when L2 proficiency is accounted for, while activity in right insula, right middle temporal gyrus, and left parahippocampal gyrus was modulated by L2 proficiency regardless of AoA. These results suggest that brain organization of L2 lexico-semantic processing is susceptible to L2 ability levels as well as age-dependent learning."],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14721/36282"],"dc:language.iso":["en_ca"],"dc:publisher":["The University of Western Ontario"],"dc:subject":["Language","second language","bilingualism","fMRI","proficiency","age of acquisition"],"dc:title":["The influence of proficiency and age of acquisition on second language processing: An fMRI study of Mandarin-English bilinguals"],"dc:type":["thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Psychology"],"thesis:degree_name":["M Sc"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T21:55:59Z"}