An EEG Study Of The Effects Of L2 Proficiency And Inhibitory Control On The Cognitive Processing Of English Metaphors

People’s view of metaphor,as a key element of language,has shifted from being a rhetorical device to a fundamental way of thinking in the cognitive system.Previous studies on the factors influencing EFL learners’ metaphor processing,previous research findings show the effects of L2 proficiency,metaphor types and processing context.However,it remains unclear about the role of inhibitory control and other cognitive factors in metaphor processing.In terms of research methods,previous studies have used more behavioral experiments to verify,while paying less attention to neurolinguistic approach.Based on this,the current study uses EEG technology to investigate further the effects of L2 level and inhibitory control ability on metaphor processing.The research adopts a 2×2((high and low L2 level,high and low IC)factorial design.Twenty-six students from Northwest Normal University were selected as participants and divided into four groups based on their English level and inhibitory control ability.The participants in four groups were asked to complete a semantic judgment task consisting of 80 sentences,in which metaphorical and literal sentences were presented randomly.Behavioral and EEG data were collected simultaneously to answer the following research questions:(1)How does L2 proficiency affect Chinese EFL learners’ processing of English metaphors?(2)How does inhibitory control affect Chinese EFL learners’ processing of English metaphors?(3)Is there an interactive effect of L2 proficiency and inhibitory control on metaphor processing? If yes,how do these two factors interact?The results show that(1)L2 proficiency significantly impacts the participants’ processing of English metaphors.The higher their English proficiency is,the higher their accuracy will be.Some electrode sites show significant differences in N400 depending on the L2 level.Participants with lower L2 proficiency have larger N400 values and put more effort into processing,consistent with the previous studies.(2)Inhibitory control has an impact on the participants’ processing of English metaphors,which can be seen from RTs,especially for participants with lower L2 levels.Their higher inhibitory control ability is associated with less reaction time.There is no significant effect of inhibitory control on sentence processing from the view of N400.(3)In terms of accuracy,no interactive effect between the two factors was found.There is an interaction effect in terms of metaphor processing reaction time,especially for effective metaphor processing(judging metaphors correctly).The findings suggest that L2 proficiency is the main factor in English metaphor processing,which means that inhibitory control ability plays a vital role in regulation in this process.Improving inhibitory control ability appears to be more effective in helping learners with metaphor processing,especially for learners with lower levels of second language.