Work

Implicit Statistical Learning in Naturalistic and Instructed Morphosyntactic Attainment: An Aptitude‐Treatment Interaction Design

Year: 2021

Type: article

Abstract: (Accepted for publication in Language Learning on 2020-12-20.) We investigated the potential influence of implicit learning mechanisms on L2 morphosyntactic attainment by examining the relationship between age of onset (AoO), two cognitive abilities hypothesised to underlie implicit learning (phonological short-term memory and implicit statistical learning), and performance on an auditory grammatically judgement test (GJT). Participants were 71 Polish - English long term bilinguals with a wide range of AoO (1–35), who differed in their context of learning and use (immersed vs instructed). In immersed learners, we observed a growing dissociation between performance on grammatical and ungrammatical sentences as AoO was delayed. This effect was attenuated in those with better phonological short-term memory and statistical learning abilities, and is consistent with a decline in the ability to learn from implicit negative evidence. In instructed learners, GJT performance was subject to additive effects of AoO and grammaticality, and was not associated with either cognitive predictor, suggesting that implicit learning mechanisms were not involved.

Source: Language Learning

DOI: 10.1111/lang.12465

Authors: Cylcia Bolibaugh, Pauline Foster

Institutions: University of York, St Mary's University Twickenham London

Language: English

Topic: EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning

Subfield: Language and Linguistics

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,300