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Li J, Wong L, Rodrigues C, Hulme RC, Joseph H, Kyle FE, Taylor JSH. Contextual diversity and anchoring: Null effects on learning word forms and opposing effects on learning word meanings. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2024:17470218231218990. [PMID: 38012815 DOI: 10.1177/17470218231218990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Words that appear in many contexts/topics are recognised faster than those occurring in fewer contexts. However, contextual diversity benefits are less clear in word learning studies. Mak et al. proposed that diversity benefits might be enhanced if new word meanings are anchored before introducing diversity. In our study, adults (N = 288) learned meanings for eight pseudowords, four experienced in six topics (high diversity) and four in one topic (low diversity). All items were first experienced five times in one topic (anchoring phase), and results were compared to Norman et al. which used a similar paradigm without an anchoring phase. An old-new decision post-test (did you learn this word?) showed null effects of contextual diversity on written form recognition accuracy and response time, mirroring Norman et al. A cloze task involved choosing which pseudoword completed a sentence. For sentences situated in a previously experienced context, accuracy was significantly higher for pseudowords learned in the low diversity condition, whereas for sentences situated in a new context, accuracy was non-significantly higher for pseudowords learned in the high diversity condition. Anchoring modulated these effects. Low diversity item accuracy was unaffected by anchoring. However, for high-diversity items, accuracy in familiar contexts was better in the current experiment (anchoring) than in Norman et al. (non-anchoring), but accuracy in new contexts did not differ between the two experiments. These results suggest that anchoring facilitates meaning use in familiar contexts, but not generalisation to new contexts, nor word recognition in isolation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiayin Li
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
- Department of Language and Cognition, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - Louise Wong
- Department of Language and Cognition, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - Catarina Rodrigues
- Department of Language and Cognition, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - Rachael C Hulme
- Department of Language and Cognition, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Applied Behavioural Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
| | - Holly Joseph
- Institute of Education, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Fiona E Kyle
- Department of Language and Cognition, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - J S H Taylor
- Department of Language and Cognition, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK
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Fang X, Perfetti CA. Consolidation improves the learning of new meanings for known words but not necessarily their integration into semantic memory. LANGUAGE, COGNITION AND NEUROSCIENCE 2023; 39:351-366. [PMID: 38962374 PMCID: PMC11219009 DOI: 10.1080/23273798.2023.2293853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
Consolidation is essential to the integration of novel words into the mental lexicon; however, its role in learning new meanings for known words remains unclear. This old-form-new-meaning learning is very common, as when one learns that "skate" is also a type of fish in addition to its familiar roller- or ice-skating meaning. To address consolidation effects for new meanings, we compared the behavioral and ERP measures on new and original meanings tested 24 hours after learning with words tested immediately after learning. Semantic judgments of both new and original meanings benefitted from the study-test interval. However, N400 amplitudes on studied words-indicators of meaning access from semantic memory-were unaffected by learning or consolidation. These results suggest that while sleep benefits memory for new meanings, the new meanings do not become integrated into the mental lexicon within that period. Instead, episodic retrieval remains functional in accessing new meanings even after 24 hours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoping Fang
- School of Psychology, Beijing Language and Culture University
| | - Charles A. Perfetti
- Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh
- Center for Neural Basis of Cognition
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Hulme RC, Begum A, Nation K, Rodd JM. Diversity of narrative context disrupts the early stage of learning the meanings of novel words. Psychon Bull Rev 2023; 30:2338-2350. [PMID: 37369974 PMCID: PMC10728247 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-023-02316-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
High quality lexical representations develop through repeated exposures to words in different contexts. This preregistered experiment investigated how diversity of narrative context affects the earliest stages of word learning via reading. Adults (N = 100) learned invented meanings for eight pseudowords, which each occurred in five written paragraphs either within a single coherent narrative context or five different narrative contexts. The words' semantic features were controlled across conditions to avoid influences from polysemy (lexical ambiguity). Posttests included graded measures of word-form recall (spelling accuracy) and recognition (multiple choice), and word-meaning recall (number of semantic features). Diversity of narrative context did not affect word-form learning, but more semantic features were correctly recalled for words trained in a single context. These findings indicate that learning the meanings of novel words is initially boosted by anchoring them to a single coherent narrative discourse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachael C Hulme
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, 26 Bedford Way, London, WC1H 0AP, UK.
| | - Anisha Begum
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, 26 Bedford Way, London, WC1H 0AP, UK
| | - Kate Nation
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Jennifer M Rodd
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, 26 Bedford Way, London, WC1H 0AP, UK
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Smejkalova A, Chetail F. Learning Spelling From Meaning. Exp Psychol 2023; 70:145-154. [PMID: 37830768 PMCID: PMC10658638 DOI: 10.1027/1618-3169/a000587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
According to the instance-based approach, each novel word encounter is encoded as an episodic trace, including different aspects of word knowledge (orthography, semantics, phonology) and context. Experiencing the novel word again leads to reactivating the previous instances to support word identification. Accordingly, once a link between orthography and meaning is established through several instances of co-occurrence, presenting the novel word form enhances semantic learning even if the contexts are uninformative about the meaning (Eskenazi et al., 2018). Here, we investigated whether informative contexts enhance orthographic learning in the absence of the novel word form. Participants read pseudowords in three definition-like sentences, followed by three unrelated filler sentences (baseline condition), three uninformative sentences (orthographic condition), or three informative sentences with synonyms replacing the pseudoword (semantic condition). After reading, participants were better at spelling pseudowords exposed in the semantic than in the baseline condition and recalled more definitions of the pseudowords exposed in the orthographic than in the baseline condition. Such results indicate that both semantic and orthographic learning benefit from the contexts where the target information is absent. Overall, this supports the instance-based approach and contributes to the understanding of the interplay between orthography and semantics in contextual word learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anezka Smejkalova
- Laboratory of Cognition, Language, and Development (LCLD), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
| | - Fabienne Chetail
- Laboratory of Cognition, Language, and Development (LCLD), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
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Hulme RC, Shapiro LR, Taylor JSH. Learning new words through reading: do robust spelling-sound mappings boost learning of word forms and meanings? ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:210555. [PMID: 36533201 PMCID: PMC9748498 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.210555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
High-quality lexical representations depend on robust representations of written form (orthography), spoken form (phonology) and meaning (semantics), and strong bonds between them. Quality of lexical representations may be affected by amount of print exposure and the form of individual words. Words that are harder to decode (print-to-sound) may lead to fuzzy representations of the orthographic and phonological forms, potentially creating less stable foundations for semantic knowledge. These factors are difficult to disentangle in natural language research; in this registered report, we experimentally manipulated decoding ease and exposure at the item level. Adults read paragraphs describing invented meanings of pseudowords. Pseudowords appeared two or six times in a paragraph, and had easy (e.g. bamper) or hard (e.g. uzide) to decode spelling-sound mappings. Post-tests assessed word-form knowledge, orthography-semantic mappings and semantic-phonology mappings. Results showed that greater decoding ease improved learning of word forms and consequently also impacted on word meanings. Higher exposure frequency improved learning of word forms but not meanings. Exposure frequency also modulated the effect of decoding ease on word-form learning, with a stronger effect of decoding ease for fewer exposures. Disentangling effects of decoding ease from print exposure has important implications for understanding potential barriers to vocabulary learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachael C. Hulme
- Aston Institute of Health and Neurodevelopment and School of Psychology, College of Health and Life Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham, UK
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - Laura R. Shapiro
- Aston Institute of Health and Neurodevelopment and School of Psychology, College of Health and Life Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham, UK
| | - J. S. H. Taylor
- Aston Institute of Health and Neurodevelopment and School of Psychology, College of Health and Life Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham, UK
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK
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