Long-term sport experience influences general action-related lexical semantic processing: ERP evidence

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to investigate whether long-term domain-specific sport experience influences general action-related lexical semantic processing. Wushu (martial arts) athletes and non-athletes were asked to complete a lexical decision task in which nouns served as targets primed by general action-related or action-unrelated verbs. Event-related potential (ERP) results showed that target nouns primed by action-related verbs elicited reduced N400s compared to those primed by action-unrelated verbs for both groups. Moreover, target nouns primed by action-related verbs elicited larger late positive components (LPCs) than those primed by action-unrelated verbs only for wushu athletes and not for non-athletes. These results suggest that long-term domain-specific sport experience facilitates general action-related lexical semantic processing and support an association between the sensory-motor system and language comprehension.

KEYWORDS:

• Sport experience
• lexical semantic processing
• N400
• LPC

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The skill of wushu athletes is divided into six levels: International Wuying level (International athletic master), Wuying level (athletic master), first-class Samurai (first-class athlete), second-class Samurai (second-class athlete), third-class Samurai (third-class athlete), and Wutong (junior athlete). The second-class athletes are required to be at least among the best in a municipal competition.

Additional information

Funding

This research project is supported by the Science Foundation of Beijing Language and Culture University (supported by “the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities”) [grant number 21YBB01 and 22YJ250004], the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 31900762], and the Project of the Construction of the Advanced Disciplines in Universities in Beijing.