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Assessing the development of automaticity in second language word recognition

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 November 2008

Sidney J. Segalowitz ,
Norman S. Segalowitz  and
Anthony G. Wood
Sidney J. Segalowitz*
Affiliation:
Brock University
Norman S. Segalowitz
Affiliation:
Concordia University
Anthony G. Wood
Affiliation:
Brock University
*
Psychology Department, Brock University, St. Catherines, Ontario L2S 3A1, Canada. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

This study investigated the development of automaticity in second language word recognition. In an earlier study (Segalowitz & Segalowitz, 1993) we demonstrated that a reduction in the coefficient of variation of lexical decision reaction time (CVRT) - the standard deviation of reaction time divided by mean reaction time (RT) - reflects a restructuring of underlying cognitive processing mechanisms in the direction of increased automaticity and not a simple speed-up of those mechanisms. In the current study, English speakers studying French performed multiple lexical decision tasks. Differences in CVRT were compared cross-sectionally and longitudinally. As in the earlier study, crosssectional analyses showed that CVRT correlated positively with RT for initially fast, but not initially slow, responders. CVRT also correlated positively with RT in longitudinal analyses. These results confirm that, with extended learning experience, the cognitive components underlying word recognition are restructured (automatized) and not simply speeded-up.

Type
Articles
Information
Applied Psycholinguistics , Volume 19 , Issue 1 , January 1998 , pp. 53 - 67
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1998

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