Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-j824f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-17T16:09:39.400Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

15 - Implicit (Not Explicit) Learning Aptitude Predicts the Acquisition of Difficult (Not Easy) Structure

A Visual-World Eye-Tracking Study

from Part IV - Aptitude–Treatment Interaction (ATI)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 May 2023

Zhisheng (Edward) Wen
Affiliation:
Hong Kong Shue Yan University
Peter Skehan
Affiliation:
Institute of Education, University of London
Richard L. Sparks
Affiliation:
Mount St Joseph University
Get access

Summary

The current study investigated to what extent two aptitude components, one for explicit and the other for implicit learning, could predict the acquisition of English grammatical structures by late L2 English learners in a naturalistic acquisition context. Sixty-five L2 English learners of Chinese Mandarin, as well as a group of English native speakers, performed a visual-world eye-tracking task. This task involved real-time processing of two grammatical properties of the English nominal phrase that differ in terms of L2 psycholinguistic difficulty: (1) definiteness (a difficult structure) and (2) mass–count (an easy structure). Predictors were implicit learning aptitude, measured by the serial-reaction time (SRT) task, and explicit learning aptitude, measured by subtests of the Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT Part 4) and the LLAMA_F test. The overall findings suggest that explicit and implicit learning mechanisms are recruited differentially for learning different grammatical properties.

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abrahamsson, N., & Hyltenstam, K. (2008). The robustness of aptitude effects in near-native second language acquisition. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 30(4), 481509. https://doi.org/10.1017/S027226310808073XCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Andringa, S., & Curcic, M. (2015). How explicit knowledge affects online L2 processing. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 37(s2), 237268. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263115000017Google Scholar
Andringa, S., & Rebuschat, P. (2015). New directions in the study of implicit and explicit learning. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 37(s2), 185196. https://doi.org/10.1017/S027226311500008XGoogle Scholar
Bolibaugh, C., & Foster, P. (2021). Implicit statistical learning in naturalistic and instructed morphosyntactic attainment: An aptitude–treatment interaction design. Language Learning, 71(4), 9591003.Google Scholar
Carroll, J. B. (1991). Cognitive abilities in foreign language aptitude: Then and now. In Parry, T. & Stansfield, C. (eds.), Language Aptitude Reconsidered. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, pp. 1129.Google Scholar
Carroll, J. B., & Sapon, S. M. (1959). Modern Language Aptitude Test: MLAT. New York, NY: Psychological Corporation.Google Scholar
Chambers, C. G., Tanenhaus, M. K., Eberhard, K. M., Filip, H., & Carlson, G. N. (2002). Circumscribing referential domains during real-time language comprehension. Journal of Memory and Language, 47(1), 3049.Google Scholar
Cheng, L., & Sybesma, R. (1998). Yi-wan tang, yi-ge tang: Classifiers and massifiers. Tsing Hua Journal of Chinese Studies, 28(3), 385412.Google Scholar
Cheng, L., & Sybesma, R. (1999). Bare and not-so-bare nouns and the structure of np. Linguistic inquiry, 30(4), 509542.Google Scholar
DeKeyser, R. M. (2000). The robustness of critical period effects in second language acquisition. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 22(4), 499534. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263100004022Google Scholar
DeKeyser, R. M. (2003). Implicit and explicit learning. In Doughty, C. J. & Long, H. M. (eds.), The Handbook of Second Language Acquisition. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishers, pp. 312348.Google Scholar
DeKeyser, R. M. (2005). What makes learning second language grammar difficult? A review of issues. Language Learning, 55(S1), 125. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0023-8333.2005.00294.xGoogle Scholar
DeKeyser, R. M. (2012). Interactions between individual differences, treatments, and structures in SLA. Language Learning, 62(s2), 189200. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9922.2012.00712.xGoogle Scholar
DeKeyser, R. M. (2016). Of moving targets and chameleons: Why the concept of difficulty is so hard to pin down. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 38(2), 353363. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263116000024Google Scholar
DeKeyser, R. M., Alfi-Shabtay, I., & Ravid, D. (2010). Cross-linguistic evidence for the nature of age effects in second language acquisition. Applied Psycholinguistics, 31(3), 413438. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0142716410000056Google Scholar
DeKeyser, R. M., Alfi-Shabtay, I., Ravid, D., & Shi, M. (2017). The role of salience in the acquisition of Hebrew as a second language: Interaction with age of acquisition. In Gass, S., Spinner, P., & Behney, J. (eds.), Salience in Second Language Acquisition. New York, NY: Routledge, pp. 131146.Google Scholar
DeKeyser, R. M., & Li, S. (2021). Epilogue: Evidence for the validity of implicit aptitude and the need for construct validation. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 43(3), 692697. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263121000140Google Scholar
Dussias, P. E., Valdés Kroff, J. R., Guzzardo Tamargo, R. E., & Gerfen, C. (2013). When gender and looking go hand in hand. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 35(2), 353387. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263112000915Google Scholar
Ellis, N. C. (2015). Implicit and explicit language learning: Their dynamic interface and complexity. In Rebuschat, P. (ed.), Implicit and Explicit Learning of Languages. Amsterdam, the Netherlands: John Benjamins Publishing Company, pp. 324.Google Scholar
Ellis, N. C., Hafeez, K., Martin, K. I., et al. (2012). An eye-tracking study of learned attention in second language acquisition. Applied Psycholinguistics, 35(3), 547579. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0142716412000501Google Scholar
Ellis, R. (2005). Measuring implicit and explicit knowledge of a second language. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 27(2), 141172. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263105050096Google Scholar
Field, A. (2009). Discovering Statistics Using SPSS: London, UK: Sage Publications Limited.Google Scholar
Gass, S. M., Spinner, P., & Behney, J. (2017). Salience in Second Language Acquisition. New York, NY: Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Godfroid, A. (2016). The effects of implicit instruction on implicit and explicit knowledge development. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 38(2), 177215. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263115000388CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Godfroid, A. (2019). Eye Tracking in Second Language Acquisition and Bilingualism: A Research Synthesis and Methodological Guide. New York, NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
Godfroid, A., & Kim, K. (2021). The contributions of implicit-statistical learning aptitude to implicit second-language knowledge. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 43(3), 606634. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263121000085Google Scholar
Godfroid, A., Loewen, S., Jung, S., et al. (2015). Timed and untimed grammaticality judgements measure distinct types of knowledge. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 37(s2), 269297. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263114000850Google Scholar
Granena, G. (2013a). Individual differences in sequence learning ability and second language acquisition in early childhood and adulthood. Language Learning, 63(4), 665703. https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12018Google Scholar
Granena, G. (2013b). Reexamining the robustness of aptitude in second language acquisition. In Granena, G., & Long, M. H. (eds.), Sensitive Periods, Language Aptitude, and Ultimate L2 Attainment. Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins, pp. 179204.Google Scholar
Granena, G. (2019). Cognitive aptitudes and L2 speaking proficiency: Links between LLAMA and Hi-LAB. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 41(2), 313336. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263118000256Google Scholar
Granena, G. (2020). Implicit Language Aptitude. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Granena, G., & Long, M. H. (2013). Age of onset, length of residence, language aptitude, and ultimate L2 attainment in three linguistic domains. Second Language Research, 29(3), 311343. https://doi.org/10.1177/0267658312461497Google Scholar
Graus, J., & Coppen, P.-A. (2015). Defining grammatical difficulty: A student teacher perspective. Language Awareness, 24(2), 101122. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658416.2014.994639Google Scholar
Hagedorn, J., Hailpern, J., & Karahalios, K. G. (2008). Vcode and vdata: Illustrating a new framework for supporting the video annotation workflow. Paper presented at the Advanced Video Interface, May 28–30, 2008, Naples, Italy. http://social.cs.uiuc.edu/papers/pdfs/vcode.pdfGoogle Scholar
Housen, A. (2014). Difficulty and complexity of language features and second language instruction. In Chapelle, C. (ed.), The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics. Oxford, UK: John Wiley & Sons, Inc, pp. 17.Google Scholar
Housen, A., & Simoens, H. (2016). Introduction: Cognitive perspectives on difficulty and complexity in L2 acquisition. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 38(2), 163175. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263116000176Google Scholar
Hua, D., & Lee, H. (2005). Chinese ESL learners’ understanding of the English count-mass distinction. In Dekydtspotter, L., Sprouse, R. A., & Liljestrand, A. (eds.), Proceedings of the 7th Generative Approaches to Second Language Acquisition Conference (GASLA 2004), Somerville, MA, pp. 138149.Google Scholar
Hulstijn, J. H. (2002). Towards a unified account of the representation, processing and acquisition of second language knowledge. Second Language Research, 18(3), 193223. https://doi.org/10.1191/0267658302sr207oaGoogle Scholar
Hulstijn, J. H. (2005). Theoretical and empirical issues in the study of implicit and explicit second-language learning. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 27(2), 129140. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263105050084Google Scholar
Ionin, T., Zubizarreta, M. L., & Philippov, V. (2009). Acquisition of article semantics by child and adult L2-English learners. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 12(3), 337361. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1366728909990149Google Scholar
Isbell, D. R., & Rogers, J. (2021). Measuring implicit and explicit learning and knowledge. In Winke, P. & Brunfaut, P. (eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition and Language Testing. New York: Routledge, pp. 304313.Google Scholar
Jiang, N., Hu, G., Chrabaszcz, A., & Ye, L. (2015). The activation of grammaticalized meaning in L2 processing: Toward an explanation of the morphological congruency effect. International Journal of Bilingualism, 21(1), 8198. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367006915603823Google Scholar
Jiang, N., Novokshanova, E., Masuda, K., & Wang, X. (2011). Morphological congruency and the acquisition of L2 morphemes. Language Learning, 61(3), 940967. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9922.2010.00627.xGoogle Scholar
Kaufman, S. B., DeYoung, C. G., Gray, J. R., et al. (2010). Implicit learning as an ability. Cognition, 116(3), 321340. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2010.05.011Google Scholar
Kim, M. (2020). Exploring the interface of explicit and implicit second-language knowledge: A longitudinal perspective. Ph.D. dissertation, Michigan State University, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.Google Scholar
Krashen, S. D. (1982). Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition. Oxford, UK: Pergamon Press.Google Scholar
Krashen, S. D. (1985). The Input Hypothesis: Issues and Implications. New York, NY: Longman.Google Scholar
Lardiere, D. (2007). Ultimate Attainment in Second Language Acquisition: A Case Study. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar
Leung, J. H. C., & Williams, J. N. (2014). Crosslinguistic differences in implicit language learning. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 36(4), 733755. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263114000333Google Scholar
Li, S., & DeKeyser, R. M. (2021). Implicit language aptitude: Conceptualizing the construct, validating the measures, and examining the evidence: Introduction to the special issue. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 43(3), 473497. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263121000024CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Linck, J. A., Hughes, M. M., Campbell, S. G., et al. (2013). Hi-LAB: A new measure of aptitude for high-level language proficiency. Language Learning, 63(3), 530566. https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12011Google Scholar
Lu, C. F.-C. (2001). The acquisition of English articles by Chinese learners. Second Language Studies, 20(1), 4378.Google Scholar
Lyons, C. (1999). Definiteness. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Matin, E., Shao, K., & Boff, K. R. (1993). Saccadic overhead: Information-processing time with and without saccades. Perception and Psychophysics, 53(4), 372380. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03206780Google Scholar
Meara, P. M. (2005). LLAMA Language Aptitude Tests: The Manual. Swansea, UK: Lognostics. www.lognostics.co.uk/tools/llama/llama_manual.pdfGoogle Scholar
Murakami, A., & Alexopoulou, T. (2016). L1 influency on the acquisition order of English grammartical morphemes: A learner corpus study. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 38(3), 365401. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263115000352CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paradis, M. (2009). Declarative and Procedural Determinants of Second Languages. Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins Publishing Company.Google Scholar
Reber, A. S., Walkenfeld, F. F., & Hernstadt, R. (1991). Implicit and explicit learning: Individual differences and IQ. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 17(5), 888896. https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-7393.17.5.888Google Scholar
Roberts, L., & Liszka, S. A. (2013). Processing tense/aspect-agreement violations on-line in the second language: A self-paced reading study with French and German L2 learners of English. Second Language Research, 29(4), 413439. https://doi.org/10.1177/0267658313503171Google Scholar
Robertson, D. (2000). Variability in the use of the English article system by Chinese learners of English. Second Language Research, 16(2), 135172. https://doi.org/10.1191/026765800672262975Google Scholar
Robinson, P. (1997). Individual differences and the fundamental similarity of implicit and explicit adult SLA. Language Learning, 47(1), 4599. https://doi.org/10.1111/0023-8333.21997002Google Scholar
Robinson, P. (2005). Cognitive abilities, chunk-strength and frequency effects during implicit artificial grammar, and incidental second language learning: Replications of Reber, Walkenfeld, and Hernstadt (1991) and Knowlton and Squire (1996) and their relevance to SLA. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 27(2), 235268. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263105050126Google Scholar
Skehan, P. (2002). Theorising and updating aptitude. In Robinson, P. (ed.), Individual Differences and Instructed Language Learning. Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins, pp. 6994.Google Scholar
Snape, N. (2008). Resetting the nominal mapping parameter in L2 English: Definite article use and the count-mass distinction. Bilingualism Language and Cognition, 11(1), 6379. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1366728907003215Google Scholar
Suzuki, Y. (2015). Using new measures of implicit L2 knowledge to study the interface of explicit and implicit knowledge. (Doctoral dissertation), University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.Google Scholar
Suzuki, Y. (2017). Validity of new measures of implicit knowledge: Distinguishing implicit knowledge from automatized explicit knowledge. Applied Psycholinguistics, 38(5), 12291261. https://doi.org/10.1017/S014271641700011XGoogle Scholar
Suzuki, Y. (2021). How does Japanese grammatical knowledge develop in naturalistic setting: Roles of grammatical features and individual difference factors. [dainigengokankyou de nihongo no bunpou chishiki wa donoyouni hattatsushiteikuka: Bunpoukoumoku no tokuchou to gakushusha no kojinsa no eikyou]. In Suzuki, W., Sakuma, Y., & Terasawa, T. (eds.), What Are the Roles of Explicit and Implicit Knowledge in Foreign Language Learning?. Tokyo, Japan: Taishukan, pp. 3348.Google Scholar
Suzuki, Y., & DeKeyser, R. M. (2015). Comparing elicited imitation and word monitoring as measures of implicit knowledge. Language Learning, 65(4), 860895. https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12138Google Scholar
Suzuki, Y., & DeKeyser, R. M. (2017). The interface of explicit and implicit knowledge in a second language: Insights from individual differences in cognitive aptitudes. Language Learning, 67(4), 747790. https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12241Google Scholar
Suzuki, Y., Jeong, H., Cui, H., et al. (2022). An fMRI validation study of the word-monitoring task as a measure of implicit knowledge: Exploring the role of explicit and implicit aptitudes in behavioral and neural processing. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, first view. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263122000043Google Scholar
Trenkic, D. (2002). Form–meaning connections in the acquisition of English articles. EUROSLA Yearbook, 2(1), 115133.Google Scholar
Trenkic, D. (2008). The representation of English articles in second language grammars: Determiners or adjectives? Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 11(1), 118. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1366728907003185Google Scholar
Trenkic, D., Mirkovic, J., & Altmann, G. T. M. (2014). Real-time grammar processing by native and non-native speakers: Constructions unique to the second language. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 17(2), 237257. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1366728913000321Google Scholar
Vafaee, P., Suzuki, Y., & Kachinske, I. (2017). Validating grammaticality judgment tests: Evidence from two new psycholinguistic measures. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 39(1), 5995. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263115000455Google Scholar
White, L. (2003). Fossilization in steady state L2 grammars: Persistent problems with inflectional morphology. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 6(02), 129141. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1366728903001081Google Scholar
Williams, J. N. (2009). Implicit learning in second language acquisition. In Ritchie, W. C. & Bhatia, T. K. (eds.), The New Handbook of Second Language Acquisition. Bingly, UK: Emerald Group Publishing Limited, pp. 319353.Google Scholar
Xia, H.-Y. (2011). A language aptitude test for native Chinese: Development and validation. [汉语语境下的外语学能测试研究及效度验证]. Shandong Foreign Language Teaching Journal, 5, 5255.Google Scholar
Yalçın, Ş., & Spada, N. (2016). Language aptitude and grammatical difficulty. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 38(2), 239263. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263115000509CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Young, R. (1996). Form-function relations in articles in English interlanguage. In Bayley, R. & Preston, D. R. (eds.), Second Language Acquisition and Linguistic Variation. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, pp. 135175.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×