Schedule of Events | Symposia

Sketchpad Series

Semantic ERP Correlates in Processing of the Visual Programming Language ScratchJr

Poster Session E - Monday, March 31, 2025, 2:30 – 4:30 pm EDT, Back Bay Ballroom/Republic Ballroom

Emily Nadler¹ (emily.nadler@bc.edu), Jason Geller¹, Marina Bers¹; ¹Boston College

In recent years, there has been a growing emphasis on early childhood coding education. However, this effort is met with limited scientific understanding of the cognitive mechanisms underlying the processing of computer programming (Fedorenko et al., 2019). Research indicates that traditional programming languages, such as Python, evoke neural responses similar to those observed in natural language processing, including N400 and P600 event-related potentials (ERPs; Kuo & Prat, 2024). This study seeks to extend these findings to ScratchJr, a visual programming language designed for children. Prior work proposes that spoken, written, and visual languages share a common cognitive architecture. We aim to: 1. Investigate whether ScratchJr elicits neural signatures comparable to natural language (specifically N400 and semantic P600 responses), and 2. Explore how experience level with ScratchJr modulates these effects. Up to forty adults and forty children will complete a baseline coding assessment, followed by an electroencephalogram (EEG) measurement involving a congruency task with trials containing lines of ScratchJr code paired with either congruent or incongruent animations. We will analyze neural responses in time bins associated with N400 and P600 components, focusing on how expertise modulates neural responses. Pilot data from seven experienced participants revealed minimal N400 and consistent P600 effects. We hypothesize that, with the full dataset, semantic irregularities will elicit both N400 and P600 effects, with expertise diminishing N400 and enhancing P600 responses. Findings could advance understanding of programming and language processing, potentially shaping educational policy and pedagogical norms for early childhood computer science curricula.

Topic Area: LANGUAGE: Semantic