An investigation into the role of implicit knowledge in adult second language acquisition
This thesis investigates the role of implicit knowledge in second language acquisition, presenting five experiments and related simulations based on artificial grammar learning. It examines whether second language learners can acquire implicit knowledge of nounâverb agreement. In addition it tests whether their ability to do so is influenced by the number of words that intervene between the relevant noun and the finite verb in the input sentences, as this affects performance in artificial grammar learning, the serial response time task and the statistical learning paradigm. Experimental participants were exposed to a modified version of Persian or Basque while performing a memory task. Next, two grammaticality judgement tests (one timed and one untimed) and a sentence correction task assessed whether the participants had acquired either the target nounâverb agreement or pairs of adjacent words that appeared frequently in the learning items. Performance reflecting implicit and explicit knowledge was distinguished according to three criteria based on R. Ellis (2005) and according to the assumption that the former is not under conscious control. Participantsâ performance suggested that they had implicit
Leonard Cook, Anna
Linguistics ; language acquisition
An investigation into the role of implicit knowledge in adult second language acquisition. This thesis investigates the role of implicit knowledge in second language acquisition, presenting five experiments and related simulations based on artificial grammar learning. It examines whether second language learners can acquire implicit knowledge of nounâverb agreement. In addition it tests whether their ability to do so is influenced by the number of words that intervene between the relevant noun and the finite verb in the input sentences, as this affects performance in artificial grammar learning, the serial response time task and the statistical learning paradigm. Experimental participants were exposed to a modified version of Persian or Basque while performing a memory task. Next, two grammaticality judgement tests (one timed and one untimed) and a sentence correction task assessed whether the participants had acquired either the target nounâverb agreement or pairs of adjacent words that appeared frequently in the learning items. Performance reflecting implicit and explicit knowledge was distinguished according to three criteria based on R. Ellis (2005) and according to the assumption that the former is not under conscious control. Participantsâ performance suggested that they had implicit
investigation role implicit knowledge adult_second language_acquisition investigates_role implicit knowledge second_language_acquisition present related simulation base artificial grammar learning examines whether second_language_learner acquire implicit knowledge noun verb agreement addition test_whether ability influence number word intervene relevant noun finite verb input sentence affect performance artificial grammar learning serial response time task statistical learning paradigm experimental participant expose modified version persian perform memory task next_two grammaticality_judgement test time sentence correction task assess_whether participant acquire either target noun verb agreement pair adjacent word appear frequently learn item performance reflect implicit_explicit knowledge distinguish accord criterion_base accord assumption former conscious control participants performance suggest implicit