Personality and speech production: a pilot study of second language learners

Modeling personality antecedents and second language self-efficacy constructs with emerging adults in Japan: Domain-specific matching for assessing global competence in applied contexts

Introduction

Research on self-efficacy in intercultural communication (SEIC) provided validity evidence for second language (L2) self-efficacy domains. However, it lacked (1) an analysis of individual differences in personality as antecedents, (2) divergent validity from anxiety variables (i.e., foreign language classroom anxiety; FLCA), and (3) disambiguation from speaking (S-SE) and listening (L-SE) skill-specific self-efficacy types.

Methods

We conducted structural equation modeling of L2 self-efficacy and anxiety as response variables predicted by the Big Five model of personality in the context of Japanese undergraduate students at three university sites (n = 373), and a geographically diverse online survey of emerging adults (n = 1,326) throughout Japan.

Results

The final model for the nationally representative sample showed that SEIC was predicted by all identified personality factors. Differentially supported paths were observed linking L-SE with Conscientiousness (β = 0.24) and Extraversion (β = 0.16), and S-SE with Extraversion (β = 0.24) and Neuroticism (β = -0.12). The fear of failure factor of FLCA was predicted positively by Neuroticism (β = 0.25) and, surprisingly, Conscientiousness (β = 0.10), and negatively by Extraversion (β = -0.13). Relationships to Openness to Experience were only supported for SEIC (β = 0.17) and S-SE (β = 0.12).

Discussion

These findings provide specificity matching for personality and L2 self-efficacy domains as empirical advances for assessing global competence within the context of Japan. Implications for cultural influences on self-efficacy and applied educational practices in language and intercultural learning are discussed.

Linguistic measures of personality in group discussions

This investigation sought to find the relationships among multiple dimensions of personality and multiple features of language style. Unlike previous investigations, after controlling for such other moderators as culture and socio-demographics, the current investigation explored those dimensions of naturalistic spoken language that most closely align with communication. In groups of five to eight players, participants (N = 340) from eight international locales completed hour-long competitive games consisting of a series of ostensible missions. Composite measures of quantity, lexical diversity, sentiment, immediacy and negations were measured with an automated tool called SPLICE and with Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count. We also investigated style dynamics over the course of an interaction. We found predictors of extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism, but overall fewer significant associations than prior studies, suggesting greater heterogeneity in language style in contexts entailing interactivity, conversation rather than solitary message production, oral rather than written discourse, and groups rather than dyads. Extraverts were found to maintain greater linguistic style consistency over the course of an interaction. The discussion addresses the potential for Type I error when studying the relationship between language and personality.

Exploring the applicability of virtual reality- enhanced education on extrovert and introvert EFL learners' paragraph writing

During the past decade, Virtual reality (VR)-enhanced education has been adopted as a pedagogically new learning approach to smooth the learning progress. With the rise of VR-enhanced activities, investigating the effect of personality types of EFL learners on their writing performance to use VR-based instruction for learning may be a crucial factor influencing their achievement. This study was an attempt to research the impact of VR- enhanced classes on paragraph writing of extrovert and introvert English foreign language (EFL) Learners. To achieve the purpose of the study, first, the Preliminary English Test (PET) was administered for ensuring the homogeneity of the sample. Once the homogeneity was established, a total of 52 EFL intermediate students were selected and placed into two comparative and two control groups, with 13 participants in each group. Four groups took part in the study, with two groups undergoing treatment with the non-VR teaching approach of paragraph writing and two groups undergoing treatment of VR-enhanced education. Among these four groups, two consisted of introverts and two extroverts that were identified through Eysenck Personality Inventory. The two comparative groups received 12 sessions of VR-enhanced education in online classes (instead of drawing pictures and sharing them within their group, they watched the process activities in the VR environment.), but the control group received learning writing paragraphs through using instructor's instructional materials. After 6-weeks of treatment sessions, all participants of the study took the post-test. According to the results, the VR-enhanced education was more effective than the non-VR teaching approach in developing paragraph writing of both introverts and extroverts. Moreover, the results of the research showed no significant differences between the performance of the introverts and extroverts, meaning that both had the same performance. The results of this study may pave the way for teachers to use VR-based technology in online and traditional classes without worrying about how learners with different personality traits respond.

Global and localized network characteristics of the resting brain predict and adapt to foreign language learning in older adults

Resting brain (rs) activity has been shown to be a reliable predictor of the level of foreign language (L2) proficiency younger adults can achieve in a given time-period. Since rs properties change over the lifespan, we investigated whether L2 attainment in older adults (aged 64-74 years) is also predicted by individual differences in rs activity, and to what extent rs activity itself changes as a function of L2 proficiency. To assess how neuronal assemblies communicate at specific frequencies to facilitate L2 development, we examined localized and global measures (Minimum Spanning Trees) of connectivity. Results showed that central organization within the beta band (~ 13-29.5 Hz) predicted measures of L2 complexity, fluency and accuracy, with the latter additionally predicted by a left-lateralized centro-parietal beta network. In contrast, reduced connectivity in a right-lateralized alpha (~ 7.5-12.5 Hz) network predicted development of L2 complexity. As accuracy improved, so did central organization in beta, whereas fluency improvements were reflected in localized changes within an interhemispheric beta network. Our findings highlight the importance of global and localized network efficiency and the role of beta oscillations for L2 learning and suggest plasticity even in the ageing brain. We interpret the findings against the background of networks identified in socio-cognitive processes.

Intrinsic Motivation and Speech Production in Saudi EFL College Students

This study aims to introduce a conceptual model that evaluates six variables, and their indicators, on a sample of 148 Saudi EFL students in their sophomoric year of studying English major in order to link intrinsic motivation, pre-lecture tasks preparation, and L2 rate of speech production. To this end, a sample of 148 experimental Saudi EFL students in their sophomoric year of studying English major was enrolled. The same tests are measured in a control group of 60 peers. The six variables are intrinsic motivation, pre-lecture tasks preparation, lexical knowledge, classroom interaction, L2 disfluency, and L2 rate of speech production. The analysis was carried out using statistical tests and structural equation modeling The results suggest that pre-lecture activities improved the students' rate of speech production and increased the students' classroom reaction, which could not be attained by e-learning. The language level was the most influencing factor that governed the intrinsic motivation after planning pre-lecture tasks. 148 students of the experimental group demonstrated a faster speech rate than the control groups. The pedagogical technique of teaching English in the Middle East, either on-campus or off-campus, would benefit from comparing the developed language and rate of speech production at different educational platforms.

Are some students graded more appropriately than others? Student characteristics as moderators of the relationships between teacher-assigned grades and test scores in mathematics

BACKGROUND

Building on the Realistic Accuracy Model, this paper explores whether it is easier for teachers to assess the achievement of some students than others. Accordingly, we suggest that certain individual characteristics of students, such as extraversion, academic self-efficacy, and conscientiousness, may guide teachers' evaluations of student achievement, resulting in more appropriate judgements and a stronger alignment of assigned grades with students' actual achievement level (as measured using standardized tests).

AIMS

We examine whether extraversion, academic self-efficacy, and conscientiousness moderate the relations between teacher-assigned grades and students' standardized test scores in mathematics.

SAMPLE

This study uses a representative sample of N = 5,919 seventh-grade students in Germany (48.8% girls; mean age: M = 12.5, SD = 0.62) who participated in a national, large-scale assessment focusing on students' academic development.

METHODS

We specified structural equation models to examine the inter-relations of teacher-assigned grades with students' standardized test scores in mathematics, Big Five personality traits, and academic self-efficacy, while controlling for students' socioeconomic status, gender, and age.

RESULTS

The correlation between teacher-assigned grades and standardized test scores in mathematics was r = .40. Teacher-assigned grades more closely related to standardized test scores when students reported higher levels of conscientiousness (β = .05, p = .002). Students' extraversion and academic self-efficacy did not moderate the relationship between teacher-assigned grades and standardized test scores.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings indicate that students' conscientiousness is a personality trait that seems to be important when it comes to how closely mathematics teachers align their grades to standardized test scores.

Effects of Encouraging the Use of Gestures on Speech

Purpose Previous studies have investigated the effects of the inability to produce hand gestures on speakers' prosodic features of speech; however, the potential effects of encouraging speakers to gesture have received less attention, especially in naturalistic settings. This study aims at investigating the effects of encouraging the production of hand gestures on the following speech correlates: speech discourse length (number of words and discourse length in seconds), disfluencies (filled pauses, self-corrections, repetitions, insertions, interruptions, speech rate), and prosodic properties (measures of fundamental frequency [F0] and intensity). Method Twenty native Italian speakers took part in a narration task in which they had to describe the content of short comic strips to a confederate listener in 1 of the following 2 conditions: (a) nonencouraging condition (N), that is, no instructions about gesturing were given, and (b) encouraging condition (E), that is, the participants were instructed to gesture while telling the story. Results Instructing speakers to gesture led effectively to higher gesture rate and salience. Significant differences were found for (a) discourse length (e.g., the narratives had more words in E than in N) and (b) acoustic measures (F0 maximum, maximum intensity, and mean intensity metrics were higher in E than in N). Conclusion The study shows that asking speakers to use their hands while describing a story can have an effect on narration length and can also impact on F0 and intensity metrics. By showing that enhancing the gesture stream could affect speech prosody, this study provides further evidence that gestures and prosody interact in the process of speech production.

Role of the Big Five Personality Traits and Motivation in Predicting Performance in Collaborative Presentations

Personality traits and motivation have been identified as influential factors in language acquisition and educational achievement. In recent years, as instructors have adapted curriculums to prepare students for academic and professional pursuits, collaborative inquiry-based projects and presentations, where students work together in groups to socially construct knowledge and achieve stipulated outcomes, have become common features of tertiary learning landscapes. This study utilizes 441 English as a foreign language university students’ Big Five Inventory-44 and Collaborative Inquiry-based Project Questionnaire ratings to predict performance on their collaborative inquiry-based projects requiring presentations. Regression analysis revealed Extraversion and Project Work as predictors of Presentation Scores. Furthermore, Extraversion and Conscientiousness emerged as partial mediators between Project Work motivation and Presentation Scores. The results underscore the advantage extraverts possess in oral presentation situations while simultaneously stressing the importance of diligence and effort in inquiry-based projects. Implications and suggestions for future study are provided.

Language-independent talker-specificity in first-language and second-language speech production by bilingual talkers: L1 speaking rate predicts L2 speaking rate

Second-language (L2) speech is consistently slower than first-language (L1) speech, and L1 speaking rate varies within- and across-talkers depending on many individual, situational, linguistic, and sociolinguistic factors. It is asked whether speaking rate is also determined by a language-independent talker-specific trait such that, across a group of bilinguals, L1 speaking rate significantly predicts L2 speaking rate. Two measurements of speaking rate were automatically extracted from recordings of read and spontaneous speech by English monolinguals (n = 27) and bilinguals from ten L1 backgrounds (n = 86): speech rate (syllables/second), and articulation rate (syllables/second excluding silent pauses). Replicating prior work, L2 speaking rates were significantly slower than L1 speaking rates both across-groups (monolinguals' L1 English vs bilinguals' L2 English), and across L1 and L2 within bilinguals. Critically, within the bilingual group, L1 speaking rate significantly predicted L2 speaking rate, suggesting that a significant portion of inter-talker variation in L2 speech is derived from inter-talker variation in L1 speech, and that individual variability in L2 spoken language production may be best understood within the context of individual variability in L1 spoken language production.

The Extraverted Chameleon

Although mimicking behavior has been shown to relate to trait affiliation, there are no investigations of its relations to broader concepts of personality. In this study, personality was assessed in terms of the Big Five and mimicry was operationalized as adaptation in speech rates. In a within-subjects design, participants interacted with two confederates who differed in speech rate (slow, fast) and the participants’ speech rates in each condition were measured as words uttered per minute of speaking. Data were analyzed employing a multilevel modeling approach. Extraversion and openness significantly predicted participants’ adaptation in speech rate, whereas agreeableness did not. The role of affiliation and status, being building-blocks of extraversion and openness, as a sine qua non for the emergence of mimicry is discussed.

Why Are Extraverts More Popular? Oral Fluency Mediates the Effect of Extraversion on Popularity in Middle Childhood

In a sample of 7– to 8–year–old children (N = 760), we examined the associations between personality traits, oral fluency and sociometric popularity. Extending upon research conducted with older populations, we found parent ratings of extraversion at age 7 to predict popularity one year later. More importantly, we expected and found teacher–rated oral fluency to partially mediate the positive association between extraversion and popularity. This mediation effect was independent of psychometrically assessed working memory, academic skills and gender. Our results can be interpreted as suggesting that a Matthew effect, similar to the one proposed for early reading skills and cognitive ability, may be operating in the domain of social competence. Copyright © 2015 European Association of Personality Psychology

The perceived clarity of children's speech varies as a function of their default articulation rate

The current study investigated whether variation in children's default articulation rate might reflect individual differences in the development of articulatory timing control, which predicts a positive correlation between rate and perceived clarity (motor skills hypothesis), or whether such variation is better attributed to speech external factors, which predicts that faster rates result in poorer target attainment (undershoot hypothesis). Two different speech samples were obtained from 54 typically developing children (5;2 - 7;11). Six utterances were extracted from each sample and measured for articulation rate and segmental duration. Fourteen adult listeners rated the utterances for clarity (enunciation). Acoustic correlates of perceived clarity, pitch, and vowel quality were also measured. The findings were that age-dependent and individual differences in children's default articulation rates were due to segmental articulation and not to suprasegmental changes. The rating data indicated that utterances produced at faster rates were perceived as more clearly articulated than those produced at slower rates, regardless of a child's age. Vowel quality measures predicted perceived clarity independently of articulation rate. Overall, the results support the motor skills hypothesis: Faster default articulation rates emerge from better articulatory timing control.

The Role of Personality in the Initiation of Communication Situations

Whereas a small number of studies have focused on the impact of extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism on the way people communicate, little is known about how the big five personality traits relate to individual differences in the specific types of communication-related situations selected in daily life. For a period of five days, people were asked to report on the types of conversations they initiated earlier that day (N = 168). Multilevel negative binomial regression analysis showed that the specific types of conversations initiated in daily life can be predicted by individual differences in extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. As such, the results show that individual differences in personality are not only reflected in the way people behave once they communicate, but also in the situations that people report to select in daily life.

Language aptitude for pronunciation in advanced second language (L2) learners: behavioural predictors and neural substrates

Individual differences in second language (L2) aptitude have been assumed to depend upon a variety of cognitive and personality factors. Especially, the cognitive factor phonological working memory has been conceptualised as language learning device. However, strong associations between phonological working memory and L2 aptitude have been previously found in early-stage learners only, not in advanced learners. The current study aimed at investigating the behavioural and neurobiological predictors of advanced L2 learning. Our behavioural results showed that phonetic coding ability and empathy, but not phonological working memory, predict L2 pronunciation aptitude in advanced learners. Second, functional neuroimaging revealed this behavioural trait to be correlated with hemodynamic responses of the cerebral network of speech motor control and auditory-perceptual areas. We suggest that the acquisition of L2 pronunciation aptitude is a dynamic process, requiring a variety of neural resources at different processing stages over time.

Librarians' attitudes towards marketing library services

This research set out to explore the attitudes of school, academic and public librarians towards marketing libraries. The main question that was examined is whether personality characteristics such as empowerment, extroversion and resistance to change influence librarians' attitudes towards the marketing of libraries. One hundred and fifty-six participants took part in this study. The research tools included: a personal details questionnaire, extroversion/ introversion questionnaire, attitudes towards marketing a library questionnaire, a resistance to change questionnaire and an empowerment questionnaire. The most important finding of this research was the positive correlation between personal characteristics: empowerment, extroversion and resistance to change and attitudes towards marketing libraries. The results of the current research emphasize the idea that librarians of all branches should be exposed to marketing concepts in order to maintain their central position as information providers despite — and within — the new technologies.