Abstract
This experiment investigated contextual diversity effects on novel word learning in English as a second language (L2). A group of advanced English speakers, whose native language was Spanish, participated in the study. Participants learned the meaning of real but obscure words that were embedded in either two or 12 different sentences and learned over two days (frequency of exposure was kept constant). On day three, participants were tested using reading aloud and semantic decision tasks. The results showed that participants learned the meaning of words in both conditions fairly well as revealed by their accuracy in the semantic decision task. However, words experienced in 12 different contexts generated more accurate and faster reaction times (RTs), suggesting the acquisition of more robust semantic representations. Strikingly, reading latencies were also faster for the 12-sentence condition, which might imply that semantics has an effect on reading newly learned words in English as a second language. These results are discussed and accommodated in view of the DRC and the PDP models of single-word reading.
Translated title of the contribution | Effects of contextual diversity on semantic decision and reading aloud: Evidence from a word learning study in English as a second language |
---|---|
Original language | Spanish |
Pages (from-to) | 162-182 |
Number of pages | 21 |
Journal | Estudios de Psicologia |
Volume | 37 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2 Jan 2016 |
Keywords
- Contextual diversity
- L2
- reading aloud
- semantic decision
- word learning