2026.05.11
Research Results
Prof. Jeong et al.’s Pioneering Study on L2 Writing and Brain Activity Published in Journal of Second Language Writing
A collaborative research paper by Professor Hyeonjeong Jeong’s laboratory (Applied Linguistics) and Professor Andrea Révész from University College London (UCL) has been published in the Journal of Second Language Writing, a top-tier (Q1) journal ranked in the top 10% within the field of Linguistics.
This highly unique and pioneering study employed a sophisticated dual-method approach—combining fMRI with keystroke logging—to capture the neural correlates of "pausing behaviors" during spontaneous L2 writing.
The findings revealed that pauses at different textual levels (within words vs. between sentences) correspond to distinct neural networks associated with linguistic encoding and high-level planning.
As one of the first studies to successfully map the real-time cognitive processes of free writing onto specific brain regions, this research provides a groundbreaking neurocognitive foundation for writing models and offers a significant impact on our understanding of language production across modalities.
Read the full paper here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2026.101303
This highly unique and pioneering study employed a sophisticated dual-method approach—combining fMRI with keystroke logging—to capture the neural correlates of "pausing behaviors" during spontaneous L2 writing.
The findings revealed that pauses at different textual levels (within words vs. between sentences) correspond to distinct neural networks associated with linguistic encoding and high-level planning.
As one of the first studies to successfully map the real-time cognitive processes of free writing onto specific brain regions, this research provides a groundbreaking neurocognitive foundation for writing models and offers a significant impact on our understanding of language production across modalities.
Read the full paper here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2026.101303