The effects of training on automatization of word recognition in English as a foreign language

2008 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
NOBUHIKO AKAMATSU
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Word Recognition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Word Frequency ◽  
Recognition Performance ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Or Efficiency ◽  
Efl Learners

ABSTRACTThe present study investigated the effects of word-recognition training on the word-recognition processing of learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). Providing 7-week word-recognition training, the study examined whether such training improves EFL learners' word-recognition performance. The main aspects of this study concerned word frequency and working-memory capacity in automatization of word recognition. Analysis of variance and correlational analyses revealed qualitative differences in the improvement of EFL word-recognition performance with respect to word frequency. The improvement in the processing of high-frequency words was associated with simple speedup; conversely, the processing of low-frequency words was associated with automatization. Results also showed that working-memory capacity might not play a noticeable role in improving word-recognition speed or efficiency.

scholarly journals A Study on the Correlation among FD-FI Cognitive Style, Working Memory Capacity and English Reading Performance among College EFL Learners

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Yuhan Ge
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Style ◽  
English Language ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Cognitive Styles ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Reading Performance ◽  
Test System ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
English Reading

In the past few decades, there have been eminent interests in reading performance as essential means for language input. In view of that, extensive studies have been conducted to explore the factors that affect reading performance from various aspects. In the cognitive psychology field, some studies have examined the relationship between field dependent-field independent (FD-FI) cognitive styles and working memory capacity (WMC) on English reading, respectively. However, only limited studies focused on the correlation among FD-FI cognitive styles, WMC and English reading performance. Therefore, this study was conducted to explain these correlations. A total of 42 intermediate “English as Foreign Language” (EFL) learners participated in this study. In order to measure the learners’ FD-FI cognitive style, WMC and English reading performance, the Cognitive Style Figures Test, reading span task and the International English Language Test System (IELTS) reading test were adopted, respectively. Data analyses such as Pearson’s correlation, independent sample t-test and two-way ANOVA were done using Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) version 25. The results suggested a statistically significant correlation between FD-FI cognitive style and WM with English reading performance, respectively. The main effect of WM and FD-FI cognitive style is significant while the interaction between them is not significant in reading performance.

Foreign Language Proficiency and Working Memory Capacity

2006 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 289-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maurits W.M.L. van den Noort ◽  
Peggy Bosch ◽  
Kenneth Hugdahl
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Language Studies ◽  
Foreign Language Proficiency ◽  
Linguistic Groups

In this study, the hypothesis that working memory capacity interacts with (foreign) language proficiency was tested on multilinguals, who were native (L1) Dutch speakers, were fluent in their second (L2) language, German, and had recently started the acquisition of their third (L3) language, Norwegian. So far, the results of second-language studies on simple and complex working-memory tasks are mixed. In previous second-language studies, however, languages that belong to different linguistic groups were used. The question arises whether the interaction between working memory capacity and language proficiency is language-specific. In our multilingualism study we, therefore, controlled for this. Both simple (digit-span) and complex working-memory tasks (reading-span task and letter-number ordering) were used. The general results show that differences in performance between L1, L2, and L3 can be found on both simple and complex working-memory tasks, supporting the working memory capacity interaction hypothesis.

scholarly journals Differences in Working Memory Capacity Affect Online Spoken Word Recognition: Evidence From Eye Movements

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 233121651983962 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gal Nitsan ◽  
Arthur Wingfield ◽  
Limor Lavie ◽  
Boaz M Ben-David
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Word Recognition ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Memory Span ◽  
Spoken Word Recognition ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Spoken Word ◽  
High Load ◽  
Low Load

Individual differences in working memory capacity have been gaining recognition as playing an important role in speech comprehension, especially in noisy environments. Using the visual world eye-tracking paradigm, a recent study by Hadar and coworkers found that online spoken word recognition was slowed when listeners were required to retain in memory a list of four spoken digits (high load) compared with only one (low load). In the current study, we recognized that the influence of a digit preload might be greater for individuals who have a more limited memory span. We compared participants with higher and lower memory spans on the time course for spoken word recognition by testing eye-fixations on a named object, relative to fixations on an object whose name shared phonology with the named object. Results show that when a low load was imposed, differences in memory span had no effect on the time course of preferential fixations. However, with a high load, listeners with lower span were delayed by ∼550 ms in discriminating target from sound-sharing competitors, relative to higher span listeners. This follows an assumption that the interference effect of a memory preload is not a fixed value, but rather, its effect is greater for individuals with a smaller memory span. Interestingly, span differences affected the timeline for spoken word recognition in noise, but not offline accuracy. This highlights the significance of using eye-tracking as a measure for online speech processing. Results further emphasize the importance of considering differences in cognitive capacity, even when testing normal hearing young adults.

Effects of Stress and Working Memory Capacity on Foreign Language Readers’ Inferential Processing During Comprehension

2011 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 187-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manpreet K. Rai ◽  
Lester C. Loschky ◽  
Richard Jackson Harris ◽  
Nicole R. Peck ◽  
Lindsay G. Cook
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Effects Of Stress ◽  
Inferential Processing

scholarly journals Working memory capacity across L2 speech proficiency levels

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 441-462
Author(s):  
Gicele Vergine Vieira Prebianca ◽  
Kyria Rebeca Finardi ◽  
Janaina Weissheimer
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Adult Learners ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Advanced Learners ◽  
Proficiency Levels ◽  
Span Test ◽  
The Relationship

This study investigates whether working memory capacity (WMC) varies across languages and in the course of L2 speech proficiency levels. Following suggestions in Finardi and Weissheimer (2009) and Prebianca (2010), who found that WMC varied as a function of L2 speech proficiency, the present study assessed three proficiency levels (elementary, intermediate and advanced) and two languages (L1-Portuguese and L2-English). Two WM tests were used, one in the L1 and another in the L2, both in the speaking mode. Sixty adult learners of English as a foreign language participated in the study: 19 elementary, 19 intermediate and 22 advanced learners. Results of Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests corroborate Finardi and Weissheimer (2009) and Prebianca (2010) suggesting that WMC measured with a speaking span test in L2 seems to conflate the relationship between speech proficiency levels and WMC.

Effects of stress, working memory capacity, and inferential complexity on foreign language reading comprehension

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lester C. Loschky ◽  
Manpreet K. Rai ◽  
Richard J. Harris ◽  
Patricia C. Barros ◽  
Lindsay G. Cook
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Foreign Language Reading ◽  
Effects Of Stress
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