Tohoku University Cognitive Neuroscience Application Center

We are pleased to have hosted the 23rd Human Neuroscience Seminar, which focused on the neural basis of language communication and the significance of language learning through social interaction, explored from the perspective of neuroscience. This seminar featured a special guest, Professor Piia Astikainen from the Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Finland, who presented her latest research findings. It was a highly meaningful and productive event where we discussed the directions and possibilities of future research. (Jeong)

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Date: Friday, December 20th, 2024
Time: 14:30 – 17:10
Venue: Department of Human Brain Science, 3F, Smart-Aging Research Center Building, IDAC, Tohoku University

Program

14:30 – 15:10
Talk 1: Student Presentation

• Presenter: Yin May Zin Han (D1)
• Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University
• Title: Neural Mechanisms of Family Communication: An fMRI Study

15:10 – 15:30  Coffee Break

15:30 – 16:40
Talk 2: Special Guest Speaker

• Speaker: Professor Piia Astikainen
• Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Finland
• Title: Social Learning of Foreign Languages: Electrophysiological Studies

Abstract: In this talk, I will present preliminary results from our study investigating the social learning of foreign phonetic features in adult participants. Native Finnish speakers were taught detection and pronunciation of Mandarin tones for one hour per day on four consecutive days. Two groups of learners, learning the language alone or in pairs, were compared in terms of learning outcomes. Learning performance was tested using behavioural and brain activity (event-related potentials) measures. In addition, brain-to-brain synchrony between tutor and learner was measured during listen-and-repeat training of word pronunciation. I will also describe the research protocol of two ongoing studies. These will test social and interactive methods for teaching pronunciation and word meaning in a foreign language.

Bio: Piia Astikainen is a Professor at the Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Finland. Her research focuses on face and speech perception and foreign language learning, using electrophysiological and behavioural methods. She has conducted several large-scale projects funded by the Research Council of Finland related to these topics, and her latest project investigates social foreign language learning.  For more details, see her research group’s website: Active Mind Lab.

16:40 – 17:10
Talk 3 CogNAC Researcher Presentation

• Speaker: Professor Hyeonjeong Jeong
• GSICS, Tohoku University
• Title: Socially Embedded Language Learning: What Can fMRI Research Do?

Contact: Hyeonjeong Jeong (jeong@tohoku.ac.jp)