Language Difficulty and Prior Learning Influence Foreign Vocabulary Acquisition
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 5900716 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sayuri Hayakawa (0000-0001-9863-1406, Northwestern University, corresponding author), James Bartolotti (0000-0002-0224-6413, Northwestern University), Aimee Van Den Berg (Northwestern University), Viorica Marian (0000-0002-8335-1433, Northwestern University) |
| Year | 2019 |
| Volume | 5 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 2 |
| Publication date | 2019-12-27 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Languages (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2226-471X • E-ISSN: 2226-471X |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/languages5010002 |
| PMID | 32104648 |
| OpenAlex | W2997773933 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 62 |
When learning a foreign language, words that are the hardest to learn are often the easiest to forget. Yet, there is also evidence that more challenging learning contexts can lead to greater long-term retention. Here, we investigate the effect of language difficulty on vocabulary retention by teaching participants novel words that varied in both imageability and similarity to a known language over a period of four weeks. We found that easier words (high-imageability and familiar) were generally retained better than harder words (low-imageability and unfamiliar). However, when words were fully learned during training, the more difficult unfamiliar words were later recalled with higher accuracy than easier familiar words. The effect of language difficulty on vocabulary retention therefore varies depending on how well words were initially encoded. We conclude that greater challenges can reap greater long-term rewards so long as learners establish a strong foundation during initial acquisition
Cognitive psychology · Foreign language · Language acquisition · Linguistics · Mathematics education · Natural language processing · Period (music · Second language · Similarity (geometry · Term (time · Vocabulary · Vocabulary development · Vocabulary Learning · Computer Science · Natural Language Processing Techniques · Psychology · Reading and Literacy Development · Second Language Acquisition and Learning · Artificial Intelligence
Metacognition
Researching Vocabulary
Mental Representations
The bilingual advantage in novel word learning
Moving beyond Kučera and Francis
Learning New Words
Clearpond
Learning Versus Performance
Concreteness, context availability, and imageability ratings and word associations for abstract, concrete, and emotion words
Category Interference in Translation and Picture Naming
Fitting Linear Mixed-Effects Models Using lme4
The Language Experience and Proficiency Questionnaire (Leap-Q)
Incidental vocabulary acquisition in a second language
Sentence Reading and Writing for Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition
Imageability predicts the age of acquisition of verbs in Chinese children
Effects of Trait Emotional Intelligence and Sociobiographical Variables on Communicative Anxiety and Foreign Language Anxiety Among Adult Multilinguals
The effect of known-and-unknown word combinations on intentional vocabulary learning
Incidental vocabulary acquisition through L2 listening
Text-based tasks and incidental vocabulary learning
Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition
L2 Vocabulary Learning From Reading
Learners’ English Vocabulary Knowledge Prior to Formal Instruction
Keyword Mnemonics Versus Rote Rehearsal
Semantic and Structural Elaboration in L2 Lexical Acquisition
Psycholinguistic Determinants of Foreign Language Vocabulary Learning
The Role of Attitudes and Motivation in Second Language Learning
Effects of Learning Method and Word Type on Acquiring Vocabulary in an Unfamiliar Language
Effects of Stimulus Characteristics and Background Music on Foreign Language Vocabulary Learning and Forgetting
What Is Hard to Learn Is Easy to Forget
A Meta-analysis of the Spacing Effect in Verbal Learning
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,33 |
| Citation span | 2020 - 2023 (4) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |