Mark My Words: High Frequency Marker Words Impact Early Stages of Language Learning

Autor/inn/en	Frost, Rebecca L. A.; Monaghan, Padraic; Christiansen, Morten H.
Titel	Mark My Words: High Frequency Marker Words Impact Early Stages of Language Learning
Quelle	In: Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 45 (2019) 10, S.1883-1898 (16 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0278-7393
DOI	10.1037/xlm0000683
Schlagwörter	Word Frequency; Speech Communication; Task Analysis; Language Tests; Grammar; Learning Processes; Phonemes; Comparative Analysis; Classification; College Students; Foreign Countries; Audio Equipment; Transfer of Training; Vocabulary Skills; Artificial Languages; Syntax; Language Acquisition; United Kingdom (England) + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Word analysis; Frequency; Wortanalyse; Häufigkeit; Aufgabenanalyse; Language test; Sprachtest; Grammatik; Learning process; Lernprozess; Fonem; Classification system; Klassifikation; Klassifikationssystem; Collegestudent; Ausland; Audio-CD; Training; Transfer; Ausbildung; Aktiver Wortschatz; Sprachaneignung; Spracherwerb
Abstract	High frequency words have been suggested to benefit both speech segmentation and grammatical categorization of the words around them. Despite utilizing similar information, these tasks are usually investigated separately in studies examining learning. We determined whether including high frequency words in continuous speech could support categorization when words are being segmented for the first time. We familiarized learners with continuous artificial speech comprising repetitions of "target words," which were preceded by high-frequency "marker words." Crucially, marker words distinguished targets into 2 distributionally defined categories. We measured learning with segmentation and categorization tests and compared performance against a control group that heard the artificial speech without these marker words (i.e., just the targets, with no cues for categorization). Participants segmented the target words from speech in both conditions, but critically when the marker words were present, they influenced acquisition of word-referent mappings in a subsequent transfer task, with participants demonstrating better early learning for mappings that were consistent (rather than inconsistent) with the distributional categories. We propose that high-frequency words may assist early grammatical categorization, while speech segmentation is still being learned. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01