Shifting Temporal Patterns of Frontal Alpha Asymmetry During Monologic and Dialogic L2 Speaking Tasks

ABSTRACT This study examined how frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) changes during monologic and dialogic second language (L2) speaking tasks, with the goal of understanding the affective–motivational processes that unfold during communication. Using electroencephalography (EEG), FAA was measured across four task roles: monologic speaking and listening and dialogic questioning and answering. Exploratory analyses indicated that anxiety did not meaningfully moderate FAA patterns, and correlations between FAA and anxiety subscales were small and inconsistent. Linear mixed‐effects models revealed distinct temporal paths across roles. Monologic speaking and listening showed relatively limited changes in FAA. Regarding dialogic roles, questioning elicited a progressive decrease in FAA, reflecting a shift toward greater right‐frontal activation often associated with increased vigilance or cognitive regulation. In contrast, answering showed a late‐emerging increase in FAA, indicating a shift toward left‐frontal engagement that may signal growing verbal comfort or approach motivation as interaction progresses. Together, these findings suggest that FAA primarily reflects the dynamic demands of interactional roles rather than stable individual differences, and that question–answer exchanges evoke stronger affective–regulatory shifts than monologic production alone. These results contribute to emerging neurocognitive accounts of L2 communication by demonstrating how affective engagement fluctuates across task phases.