Socially and physically interactive second language learning

Behavioral and brain correlates

Welcome! I’m Ana Zappa, a postdoctoral Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellow at the University of Barcelona. My research focuses on second language (L2) learning, adopting an interdisciplinary approach that integrates psycholinguistic and social cognitive perspectives. Specifically, I examine how action and social interaction shapes the formation of lexicosemantic representations.

To achieve this, I use a combination of electroencephalography (EEG), eye-tracking, pupillometry, and behavioral measures to examine the neural, psychophysiological, and behavioral correlates of L2 word learning across diverse learning contexts. I use virtual reality to create interactive, immersive social environments that strike a balance between ecological validity and experimental control.

Selected publications

• Zappa, A., Bolger, D., Pergandi, J.-M., Fargier, R., Mestre, D., & Frenck-Mestre, C. (2024). The neural correlates of embodied L2 learning: Does embodied L2 verb learning affect representation and retention?
• Zappa, A., Bolger, D., Pergandi, J.-M., Mallet, P., Dubarry, A.-S., Mestre, D., & Frenck-Mestre, C. (2019). Motor resonance during linguistic processing as shown by EEG in a naturalistic VR environment. Brain and Cognition, 134, 44 57
• Zappa, A., Mestre, D., Pergandi, J.-M., Bolger, D., & Frenck-Mestre, C. (2022). Cross-linguistic gender congruency effects during lexical access in novice L2 learners: Evidence from ERPs. Language, Cognition and Neuroscience, 37, 1073–1098
• Zappa, A., & Frenck-Mestre, C. Embodied L2 processing and learning from a neurocognitive perspective, (2023) The Routledge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition and Neurolinguistics
• Zappa, A., Osokina, P., Cerda, X. Mateu, M. Slater, M. Rodriguez-Fornells,A. Neurophysiological and pupillometric correlates of learning words with social feedback
• Bechtold, L., Cosper, S. H., Malyshevskaya, A., Montefinese, M., Morucci, P., Niccolai, V., Repetto, C., Zappa, A., & Shtyrov, Y. (2023). Brain Signatures of Embodied Semantics and Language: A Consensus Paper. Journal of Cognition, 6(1). (*all authors are first authors)
• Tellier, M., Eschenauer, S. & Zappa, A. (2022) Incorporating languages: recognizing the role of the body in teaching and learning, Travaux interdisciplinaires sur la parole et le langage (TIPA), 38
• Zappa, A., Léon-Cabrera, P., Ramos-Escobar, N., Laine, M., Rodriguez-Fornells, A, François, C. Increased Oscillatory brain activity during consolidation of newly learned words
• Pan, Y-L, Zappa, A., Bolger, D., Frenck-Mestre, C. Impacts of Emotional valence on word processing: behavioral and ERP evidence
• Zappa, A., Slater, M., Rodriguez-Fornells, A., Understanding how social interaction shapes second language learning and the potential of virtual reality for unlocking new insights: An interdisciplinary review, under review