ERIC Number: EJ1476802
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Dec
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-2056-7936
Available Date: 2025-07-10
Reading Comprehension in L1 and L2 Readers: Neurocomputational Mechanisms Revealed through Large Language Models
Chanyuan Gu1; Samuel A. Nastase2; Zaid Zada2; Ping Li1,3
npj Science of Learning, v10 Article 46 2025
While evidence has accumulated to support the argument of shared computational mechanisms underlying language comprehension between humans and large language models (LLMs), few studies have examined this argument beyond native-speaker populations. This study examines whether and how alignment between LLMs and human brains captures the homogeneity and heterogeneity in both first-language (L1) and second-language (L2) readers. We recorded brain responses of L1 and L2 English readers of texts and assessed reading performance against individual difference factors. At the group level, the two groups displayed comparable model-brain alignment in widespread regions, with similar unique contributions from contextual embeddings. At the individual level, multiple regression models revealed the effects of linguistic abilities on alignment for both groups, but effects of attentional ability and language dominance status for L2 readers only. These findings provide evidence that LLMs serve as cognitively plausible models in characterizing homogeneity and heterogeneity in reading across human populations.
Descriptors: Reading Comprehension, Native Language, Second Language Learning, Brain Hemisphere Functions, Computational Linguistics, Language Processing, English (Second Language), English, Individual Differences, Language Aptitude, Attention Control, Language Dominance, Models, Psycholinguistics, Neurosciences
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: NCSFO1533625
Author Affiliations: 1The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Department of Language Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR, China; 2Princeton University, Princeton Neuroscience Institute and Department of Psychology, Princeton, USA; 3The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Centre for Immersive Learning and Metaverse in Education and PolyU-Hangzhou Technology and Innovation Research Institute, Hong Kong SAR, China