Concept mediation in the adult language learner
Item
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Title
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Concept mediation in the adult language learner
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Identifier
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d_2009_2013:29e733f8f307:11209
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identifier
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11629
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Creator
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Marin, Maritza M.,
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Contributor
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Laraine McDonough
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Date
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2012
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Cognitive psychology | Behavioral psychology | Language | Adults | Bilingualism | Concept Mediation | Language Learning | Phonology and Orthography | RHM
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Abstract
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The purpose of the present research was to investigate the time course of lexical and conceptual development in the adult language learner. A review of the literature indicates that there is still no definitive model that encapsulates all degrees of bilingualism, including the adult language learner. One model, the revised hierarchical model (RHM) proposed by Kroll and Stewart (1994) has a developmental component that attempts to explain why memory is represented differently in the less fluent (beginning) bilingual speaker. Since its inception the predictions of the RHM have been challenged. Three novel experiments were presented and their results reviewed with regards to the predictions of the RHM. Several factors (i.e., orthography, phonology) were identified as being either facilitative or inhibitory to successful language learning. In Experiment 1, using a bilingual Russian-English Stroop task, language dominance (i.e., greater usage) rather than language proficiency (i.e., knowledge) was found to be a better predictor of performance for the fluent native Russian speakers. Moreover, while lexical and conceptual development appeared to be asymmetrical for the native English speakers, the results were moderated by orthography and phonology for these novice (i.e., non-Russian) language learners. To further investigate the effects of orthography and phonology on language learning, new stimuli and a novel training paradigm were introduced in Experiments 2 and 3. In both experiments, a modified Russian-English (using Romanized transliterations instead of Cyrillic script) version of the Stroop color-word interference task was used. Native English speakers were trained with and then tested on transliterated Russian and English color words. Verbal responses in both English and Russian were required. Experiment 3 extended the findings of Experiment 2 by adding a nonverbal (i.e., key press) condition. Results from both Experiments 2 and 3 suggest that access to conceptual representations in a second language are available early on during the language learning process; moreover, the influence of orthography, phonology and the language-learning environment appear to be important determinants in language learning. Implications for models of visual word processing and bilingual memory are discussed as they relate to second language learning and the dynamic nature of bilingualism.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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2009_2013.csv
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Psychology
