The Inhibitory Mechanism in Learning Ambiguous Words in a Second Language

Frontiers in Psychology
Yao LuBaoguo Chen

Abstract

Ambiguous words are hard to learn, yet little is known about what causes this difficulty. The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between the representations of new and prior meanings of ambiguous words in second language (L2) learning, and to explore the function of inhibitory control on L2 ambiguous word learning at the initial stage of learning. During a 4-day learning phase, Chinese-English bilinguals learned 30 novel English words for 30 min per day using bilingual flashcards. Half of the words to be learned were unambiguous (had one meaning) and half were ambiguous (had two semantically unrelated meanings learned in sequence). Inhibitory control was introduced as a subject variable measured by a Stroop task. The semantic representations established for the studied items were probed using a cross-language semantic relatedness judgment task, in which the learned English words served as the prime, and the targets were either semantically related or unrelated to the prime. Results showed that response latencies for the second meaning of ambiguous words were slower than for the first meaning and for unambiguous words, and that performance on only the second meaning of ambiguous words was predicted by inhibitory...Continue Reading

References

Oct 1, 1971·Journal of Experimental Psychology·D E Meyer, R W Schvaneveldt
Jul 1, 1997·Memory & Cognition·R Bijeljac-BabicJ Grainger
Jun 1, 1997·Journal of Child Language·M M Mazzocco
Oct 25, 2002·Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers : a Journal of the Psychonomic Society, Inc·Natasha TokowiczJanet G van Hell
Mar 5, 2003·Psychonomic Bulletin & Review·Janet G Van Hell, Ton Dijkstra
Oct 7, 2004·Journal of Experimental Psychology. Human Perception and Performance·Wouter Duyck, Marc Brysbaert
Jan 6, 2006·Journal of Experimental Psychology. Learning, Memory, and Cognition·Charles A PerfettiLesley A Hart
Jan 31, 2006·Brain Research·Jiang QiuQinglin Zhang
Mar 15, 2006·Memory & Cognition·Ken McRaeTodd Ferretti
Jun 3, 2006·Learning & Memory·Steffen GaisJan Born
Aug 18, 2006·Psychological Science·Rebecca L GómezLynn Nadel
Oct 18, 2008·Psychonomic Bulletin & Review·Tal YarkoniMelvin Yap
Nov 5, 2008·Journal of Experimental Psychology. Learning, Memory, and Cognition·Ekaterini KlepousniotouCarolina Romero
Nov 21, 2008·Nature Reviews. Neuroscience·Ellen F LauDavid Poeppel
Sep 2, 2010·Behavior Research Methods·Emmanuel Keuleers, Marc Brysbaert
Sep 3, 2010·Annual Review of Psychology·Marta Kutas, Kara D Federmeier
May 18, 2011·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Tamara Nicol MedinaLila R Gleitman
Aug 16, 2011·Brain Research·Emily CoderreWalter J B van Heuven
Jan 1, 2013·Brain and Language·Ladan Ghazi SaidiAna-Inés Ansaldo
Jul 1, 1994·Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience·A C Nobre, G McCarthy
Jul 15, 2015·Frontiers in Psychology·Ewa Dąbrowska

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Nov 9, 2018·Frontiers in Psychology·Yuanyue ZhangYao Lu

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Software Mentioned

lme4
R
R Project for Statistical Computing environment

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.