Language Learning Enhanced by Massive Multiple Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) and the Underlying Behavioral and Neural Mechanisms

被引：12

作者：

Zhang, Yongjun ^{[1
,2
]}

Song, Hongwen ^{[3
]}

Liu, Xiaoming ^{[1
,3
]}

Tang, Dinghong ^{[1
]}

Chen, Yue-e ^{[1
,4
]}

Zhang, Xiaochu ^{[2
,3
,5
,6
,7
]}

机构：

[1] Anhui Jianzhu Univ, Sch Foreign Languages, Hefei, Peoples R China

[2] Univ Sci & Technol China, Sch Informat Sci & Technol, Ctr Biomed Engn, Hefei, Peoples R China

[3] Univ Sci & Technol China, Sch Humanities & Social Sci, Hefei, Peoples R China

[4] Univ Sci & Technol China, Sch Publ Affairs, Hefei, Peoples R China

[5] Univ Sci & Technol China, Sch Life Sci, CAS Key Lab Brain Funct & Dis, Hefei, Peoples R China

[6] Chinese Acad Sci, Inst Biophys, State Key Lab Brain & Cognit Sci, Beijing, Peoples R China

[7] Chinese Acad Sci, Hefei Inst Phys Sci, Ctr Med Phys & Technol, Hefei, Peoples R China

来源：

FRONTIERS IN HUMAN NEUROSCIENCE | 2017年 / 11卷

关键词：

Massive Multiple Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs); language learning; interaction; reward; behavioral mechanism; neural mechanism; SUPERIOR FRONTAL GYRUS; BOTTOM-UP; TOP-DOWN; ATTENTIONAL BIAS; TEMPORAL CORTEX; REWARD; BRAIN; MOTIVATION; BILINGUALS; SYSTEMS;

D O I：

10.3389/fnhum.2017.00095

中图分类号：

Q189 [神经科学];

学科分类号：

071006 ;

摘要：

Massive Multiple Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) have increased in popularity among children, juveniles, and adults since MMORPGs' appearance in this digital age. MMORPGs can be applied to enhancing language learning, which is drawing researchers' attention from different fields and many studies have validated MMORPGs' positive effect on language learning. However, there are few studies on the underlying behavioral or neural mechanism of such effect. This paper reviews the educational application of the MMORPGs based on relevant macroscopic and microscopic studies, showing that gamers' overall language proficiency or some specific language skills can be enhanced by real-time online interaction with peers and game narratives or instructions embedded in the MMORPGs. Mechanisms underlying the educational assistant role of MMORPGs in second language learning are discussed from both behavioral and neural perspectives. We suggest that attentional bias makes gamers/learners allocate more cognitive resources toward task-related stimuli in a controlled or an automatic way. Moreover, with a moderating role played by activation of reward circuit, playing the MMORPGs may strengthen or increase functional connectivity from seed regions such as left anterior insular/frontal operculum (AI/FO) and visual word form area to other language-related brain areas.

引用

页数：7