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The extent to which learners benefit from instruction may be largely dependent on their individual abilities. However, there is relatively little work on the interaction between instructional effectiveness in second language learning and learner individual factors. In this study, we investigated the relationship between instruction, individual differences in cognitive abilities (working memory and declarative memory), and second language vocabulary acquisition in the context of web-based intelligent computer assisted language learning (ICALL). To this end, 127 adult learners of English, predominantly advanced-level, German-speaking learners, read news texts on the web for about two weeks using an ICALL system under two instructional conditions: form-focused and meaning-focused instruction. Learners in the form-focused condition read and completed automatically-generated multiple-choice gaps where phrasal verbs appeared in the text, while learners in the meaning-focused condition simply read and did not complete any gaps. Mixed-effects regression analyses showed that working memory was associated with vocabulary acquisition and that this association depended on the instructional context, with working memory being predictive of learning only in the form-focused condition, suggesting an aptitude-treatment interaction. Furthermore, declarative memory abilities were related to learning only as measured by the Continuous Visual Memory Task, and the relationship was not moderated by instructional condition. Overall, the study contributes to accounting for variability in second language learning in general, as well as in instructional contexts supported by intelligent CALL.

First language acquisition is implicit, in that explicit information about the language structure to be learned is not provided to children. Instead, they must acquire both vocabulary and grammar incrementally, by generalizing across multiple situations that eventually enable links between words in utterances and referents in the environment to be established. However, this raises a problem of how vocabulary can be acquired without first knowing the role of the word within the syntax of a sentence. It also raises practical issues about the extent to which different instructional conditions -- about grammar in advance of learning or feedback about correct decisions during learning -- might influence second language acquisition of implicitly experienced information about the language. In an artificial language learning study, we studied participants learning language from inductive exposure, but under different instructional conditions. Language learners were exposed to complex utterances and complex scenes and had to determine the meaning and the grammar of the language from these co-occurrences with environmental scenes. We found that learning was boosted by explicit feedback, but not by explicit instruction about the grammar of the language, compared to an implicit learning condition. However, the effect of feedback was not general across all aspects of the language. Feedback improved vocabulary, but did not affect syntax learning. We further investigated the local, contextual effects on learning, and found that previous knowledge of vocabulary within an utterance improved learning but that this was driven only by certain grammatical categories in the language. The results have implications for theories of second language learning informed by our understanding of first language acquisition as well as practical implications for learning instruction and optimal, contingent adjustment of learners' environment during their learning.

This study investigated the effects of individual word frequency, collocational frequency, and association on L1 and L2 collocational processing. An acceptability judgment task was administered to L1 and L2 speakers of English. Response times were analyzed using mixed-effects modeling for 3 types of adjective-noun pairs: (a) high-frequency, (b) low-frequency, and (c) baseline items. This study extends previous research by examining whether the effects of individual word and collocation frequency counts differ for L1 and L2 speakers' processing of collocations. This study also compared the extent to which L1 and L2 speakers' response times are affected by mutual information and log Dice scores, which are corpus-derived association measures. Both groups of participants demonstrated sensitivity to individual word and collocation frequency counts. However, there was a reduced effect of individual word frequency counts for processing high-frequency collocations compared to low-frequency collocations. Both groups of participants were similarly sensitive to the association measures used.

Learning language requires acquiring the grammatical categories of words in the language, but learning those categories requires understanding the role of words in the syntax. In this study, we examined how this chicken and egg problem is resolved by learners of an artificial language comprising nouns, verbs, adjectives, and case markers following syntactic rules. We also measured individual differences in declarative and procedural memory processing, which have been linked to vocabulary and grammar learning, respectively. The results showed that grammar and vocabulary can be acquired simultaneously, but with distinctive patterns of acquisition: the syntactic role of verbs and their referents first, then other lexical categories, and finally the syntactic function of case markers. Interdependencies in learning were found for word order and verbs, which related to verbal declarative memory, and also for nouns, adjectives, and case markers, which related to procedural memory.

Learning syntax requires determining relations between thegrammatical categories of words in the language, but learningthose categories requires understanding the role of words inthe syntax. In this study, we examined how this chicken andegg problem is resolved by learners of an artificial languagecomprising nouns, verbs, adjectives and case markersfollowing syntactic rules. We found that the language couldbe acquired through cross-situational statisticalcorrespondences with complex scenes and without explicitfeedback, and that knowledge was maintained after 24 hours.Results also showed that verbs and word order were the firstto be acquired, followed by nouns, adjectives and finally casemarkers. Interdependencies in learning were found for wordorder and verbs, and also for nouns, adjectives and casemarkers. Grammar and vocabulary can be acquiredsimultaneously, but with distinctive patterns of acquisition –grammar and the role of verbs first, then the vocabulary ofother lexical categories.

The past 15-20 years have witnessed a particularly stronginterest in our ability to rapidly extract structuredinformation from the environment. This fundamentalprocess of human cognition is widely believed to underpinmany complex behaviors – from language development andsocial interaction to intuitive decision making and musiccognition – so this interest spans practically all branches ofcognitive science. Research on this topic can be found intwo related, yet traditionally distinct research strands,namely "implicit learning" (Reber, 1967) and "statisticallearning" (Saffran, Aslin, & Newport, 1996).Both lines of research focus on how we acquireinformation from complex stimulus domains and both relyheavily on the use of artificial systems (e.g., finite-stategrammars, pseudoword lexicons). In typical experiments,participants are initially exposed to stimuli generated by anartificial system and then tested to determine what they havelearned. Given these and other significant similarities,Perruchet and Pacton (2006) argue that these distinct linesof research actually represent two approaches to a singlephenomenon, and Conway and Christiansen (2006) proposecombining the two in name: "implicit-statistical learning".Yet, despite frequent acknowledgements that researchers inimplicit learning and statistical learning might essentially belooking at the same phenomenon, there is surprisingly littlealignment between the two strands.This symposium seeks to remedy this situation bybringing together leading researchers from both areas inorder to promote a shared understanding of researchquestions and methodologies, to discuss similarities anddifferences between the two approaches, and to worktowards a joint research agenda. The symposium comprisesfour presentations, followed by a thematic discussion, whichprovide coverage of these phenomena in terms ofdevelopment (children and adults), different languagelearning tasks (sublexical phonotactics, word acquisition,grammar learning), and their role in both production andcomprehension, each integrating multidisciplinaryperspectives. Gomez focuses on implicit-statistical learningin early development, identifying words and grammaticalsequences and the memory systems that underlie thislearning. Monaghan and Rebuschat measure word learningand grammar learning in adults, while varying theknowledge that participants have of the structure they areacquiring. Dell and Anderson demonstrate how their workon acquisition of phonotactic constraints is exhibited inspeakers’ productions, and discuss the inter-relation inspeech between implicit and statistical learning. Finally,Conway provides an overview of the two fields, andproposes a novel framework that unifies implicit learningand statistical learning.

Understanding the process of adult language learning has recently undergone advances due to the consideration ofhow individual differences (IDs) in cognitive processing, such as working memory (WM), affect acquisition. We know thatimplicit versus explicit learning conditions also influence learning, however, the potential interactions between IDs, the efficacyof implicit versus explicit learning, and different types of linguistic information are largely unknown. In this study, we testedlearning of syntax and grammatical case under two conditions: incidental and explicit rule-provision (“instructed”). We alsoassessed individuals’ WM, phonological working memory (PWM), and learning styles. Significant learning effects were foundfor word order and case in both learning conditions. For case, but not for word order, the instructed group outperformed theincidental group. Regarding IDs, incidental learning of case was marginally related to individuals’ WM; instructed learning ofcase was related to PWM. For learning styles, there was a negative relationship between learning of word order in the instructedcondition and a deductive learning style. These results reveal the complex relationships among cognitive processes in explicitand implicit language learning across different aspects of language structure, and in relation to cognitive IDs.

Migrant students tend to underperform in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects and are less likely to pursue higher education in STEM when compared with their nonmigrant peers. Given the substantial increase in migration, this disparity has been a central concern in science education in many European countries. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of an innovative science outreach program that brings together migrant students and STEM professionals with the same linguistic and cultural backgrounds. The program consists of one‐off workshops that follow an inquiry‐based approach and include hands‐on activities and science communication in the students' heritage language. Using surveys with adapted scales and open‐ended questions, we applied a randomized block design with waitlist control groups and repeated measures. Eighty‐three Portuguese‐speaking migrant students aged 6–17 years participated in the workshops in Germany and the United Kingdom. Results indicate that both the students and STEM professionals evaluated the program positively and that students who participated in the workshops tended to demonstrate an increase in their attainment value for science and an increase in their self‐concept of ability for the heritage language 4 weeks after the intervention when compared with students in the control condition. These effects were particularly pronounced for students with low prior motivation to study science or speak the heritage language. Our results thus show that it is possible to foster migrant students' attainment value for science and increase their self‐concept of ability regarding the heritage language through a brief science outreach intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the promise of research conducted at the intersection of computer-assisted language learning (CALL), natural language processing, and second language acquisition, few studies have explored the potential benefits of using intelligent CALL systems to deepen our understanding of the process and products of second language (L2) learning. The strategic use of technology offers researchers novel methodological opportunities to examine how incremental changes in L2 development occur during treatment as well as how the longitudinal impacts of experimental interventions on L2 learning outcomes occur on a case-by-case basis. Drawing on the pilot results from a project examining the effects of automatic input enhancement on L2 learners' development, this article explores how the use of technology offers additional methodological and analytical choices for the investigation of the process and outcomes of L2 development, illustrating the opportunities to study what learners do "during" visually enhanced instructional activities.

Introduction: Recent research on word learning has found that adults can rapidly learn novel words by tracking cross-situational statistics, but learning is greatly influenced by the phonological properties of the words and by the native language of the speakers. Mandarin-native speakers could easily pick up novel words with Mandarin tones after a short exposure, but English-native speakers had specific difficulty with the tonal components. It is, however, unclear how much experience with Mandarin is needed to successfully use the tonal cue in word learning. In this study, we explored this question by focusing on the heritage language population, who typically are exposed to the target language at an early age but then develop and switch to another majority language. Specifically, we investigated whether heritage Mandarin speakers residing in an English-speaking region and speaking English as a dominant language would be able to learn novel Mandarin tonal words from statistical tracking. It helps us understand whether early exposure to the target feature is sufficient to promote the use of that feature in word learning later in life. Methods: We trained 30 heritage Mandarin speakers with Mandarin pseudowords via a cross-situational statistical word learning task (CSWL). Results and discussion: Heritage Mandarin speakers were able to learn the pseudowords across multiple situations, but similar-sounding words (i.e., minimal pairs) were more difficult to identify, and words that contrast only in lexical tones (i.e., Mandarin lexical tone) were distinguished at chance level throughout learning. We also collected information about the participants' heritage language (HL) experience and usage. We did not observe a relationship between HL experience/usage and performance in tonal word learning, suggesting that HL exposure does not necessarily lead to an advantage in learning the target language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Williams's (2005) study on "learning without awareness" and three subsequent extensions (Faretta-Stutenberg & Morgan-Short, 2011; Hama & Leow, 2010; Rebuschat, Hamrick, Sachs, Riestenberg, & Ziegler, 2013) have reported conflicting results, perhaps in part due to differences in how awareness has been measured. The present extension of Williams (2005) addresses this possibility directly by triangulating data from three awareness measures: concurrent verbal reports (think-aloud protocols), retrospective verbal reports (postexposure interviews), and subjective measures (confidence ratings and source attributions). Participants were exposed to an artificial determiner system under incidental learning conditions. One experimental group thought aloud during training, another thought aloud during training and testing, and a third remained silent, as did a trained control group. All participants were then tested by means of a forced-choice task to establish whether learning took place. In addition, all participants provided confidence ratings and source attributions on test items and were interviewed following the test. Our results indicate that, although all experimental groups displayed learning effects, only the silent group was able to generalize the acquired knowledge to novel instances. Comparisons of concurrent and retrospective verbal report data shed light on the conflicting findings previously reported in the literature and highlight important methodological issues in implicit and explicit learning research.

Evidence of learning following incidental exposure has been found for aspects of nonnative syntax in adults (Rebuschat & Williams, 2006, 2012; Williams & Kuribara, 2008). However, little research has tested delayed effects of learning under an incidental condition or moved beyond word order. This study investigated learning of third language (L3) morphosyntax (word order and case marking) under an incidental exposure condition. Participants were second language Spanish learners exposed auditorily to a semiartificial language, Japlish, during a semantic plausibility judgment task. Performance following exposure to L3 Japlish was assessed with acceptability judgment and picture-matching tasks that were administered immediately after exposure and 2 weeks later. Results on immediate tests showed a significant learning effect on acceptability judgment but none for picture matching. At delayed testing, results showed maintenance of the learning effect on acceptability judgment and significantly improved performance on picture matching. Results additionally showed that many of the learners arrived at the correct Japlish word-order rule; fewer did so for case marking. Follow-up analyses indicated that this rule knowledge, as measured by debriefing information, was important for performance on both assessment tasks, particularly at delayed testing. The results suggest that learning of L3 structures can take place following incidental exposure, that such learning is durable and undergoes improvement, and that development of reportable rule knowledge may also play an important role.