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Neural Representations of Newly Learned Meanings for Familiar Words Across Learning Stages
Poster Session B, Wednesday, September 30, 4:30 - 6:30 pm, Wangari Maathai
Xiaoping Fang1, Qiuhai Yue2, Jinqi Wang1, Yufan Zhang1, Youyi Liu3; 1Beijing Language and Culture University, 2Shenzhen University, 3Beijing Normal University
Lexical knowledge evolves as familiar words acquire new meanings, requiring the integration of novel semantic information into existing lexical representations. However, little is known about how these representations change over time as newly learned meanings become consolidated and integrated into the mental lexicon. The current study addressed this question by comparing words at two different learning stages: words learned on the day of testing (Recent condition) and words initially learned one week earlier and repeatedly studied and tested across the following week (Remote condition). After learning both sets of words, participants viewed all studied words in an MRI scanner and responded only to occasional profession words presented as catch trials. Behavioral results showed that participants recalled the new meanings with high accuracy in both conditions, and recall responses were faster for Recent than Remote words. In contrast, semantic category judgments about the new meanings were faster and more accurate for Remote than Recent words, suggesting a shift from detailed episodic retrieval toward more generalized semantic representations over time. Neuroimaging results further showed that, compared to familiar control words, Remote words elicited greater activation in the left retrosplenial cortex, bilateral parieto-occipital sulcus, left inferior parietal sulcus, and right medial superior frontal gyrus. These activations may reflect strengthened cortical representations of newly learned meanings after repeated learning and consolidation. In contrast, Recent words with new meanings primarily elicited activation in the bilateral insula relative to their control words. Together, these findings reveal learning-stage-dependent changes in how newly learned meanings are consolidated and integrated into the mental lexicon.
Topic Areas: Language Development/Acquisition, Meaning: Lexical Semantics