Elicited imitation as a measure of implicit L2 knowledge
-
Gisela Granena
Abstract
Elicited imitation (EI) is an oral production task considered to be conducive to the retrieval of implicit second language (L2) knowledge (e.g. Bley-Vroman & Chaudron 1994; Chaudron, Prior, & Kozok 2005; Ellis 2005; Erlam 2006). This study aimed at contributing to testing the validity of EI as a measure of implicit language knowledge by examining whether individual differences in working memory (WM) and/or short-term memory (STM) capacity are related to performance on an EI task. The study focused on two types of morpho-syntactic agreement: plural marking and third person subject-verb agreement in English. Sixty intermediate-level learners of English with Chinese as L1 background participated in the study. The results of the study showed that neither WM nor STM moderated accuracy scores on the EI task. These findings were interpreted as evidence of automatic knowledge retrieval during the task and, therefore, as evidence in support of the validity of EI as a measure of implicit language knowledge.
Abstract
Elicited imitation (EI) is an oral production task considered to be conducive to the retrieval of implicit second language (L2) knowledge (e.g. Bley-Vroman & Chaudron 1994; Chaudron, Prior, & Kozok 2005; Ellis 2005; Erlam 2006). This study aimed at contributing to testing the validity of EI as a measure of implicit language knowledge by examining whether individual differences in working memory (WM) and/or short-term memory (STM) capacity are related to performance on an EI task. The study focused on two types of morpho-syntactic agreement: plural marking and third person subject-verb agreement in English. Sixty intermediate-level learners of English with Chinese as L1 background participated in the study. The results of the study showed that neither WM nor STM moderated accuracy scores on the EI task. These findings were interpreted as evidence of automatic knowledge retrieval during the task and, therefore, as evidence in support of the validity of EI as a measure of implicit language knowledge.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
-
Introduction
- Introduction. Cognitive individual differences in second language learning and processing 1
-
Part 1. Theoretical and methodological issues
- Foreign language aptitude, acquisitional sequences, and psycholinguistic processes 17
- Miniature natural language learning in L2 acquisition research 41
- Working memory, language processing, and implications of malleability for second language acquisition 69
- Methodological implications of working memory tasks for L2 processing research 89
- Analyzing individual differences in second language research 105
-
Part 2. Empirical studies
- Music, song and speech 131
- An empirical study of working memory, personality, and second language construction learning 157
- Elicited imitation as a measure of implicit L2 knowledge 185
- Working memory and L2 English speakers’ primed and subsequent production of passives 205
- Interrelationships among L2 linguistic knowledge, working memory functions, and L2 reading 223
- Executive control and phonological processing in language acquisition 249
- Corrective feedback and working memory capacity 279
- The interaction between feedback exposure condition and phonetic coding ability 303
- The role of explicit language aptitude in implicit, explicit, and mixed feedback conditions 327
- Index 351
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
-
Introduction
- Introduction. Cognitive individual differences in second language learning and processing 1
-
Part 1. Theoretical and methodological issues
- Foreign language aptitude, acquisitional sequences, and psycholinguistic processes 17
- Miniature natural language learning in L2 acquisition research 41
- Working memory, language processing, and implications of malleability for second language acquisition 69
- Methodological implications of working memory tasks for L2 processing research 89
- Analyzing individual differences in second language research 105
-
Part 2. Empirical studies
- Music, song and speech 131
- An empirical study of working memory, personality, and second language construction learning 157
- Elicited imitation as a measure of implicit L2 knowledge 185
- Working memory and L2 English speakers’ primed and subsequent production of passives 205
- Interrelationships among L2 linguistic knowledge, working memory functions, and L2 reading 223
- Executive control and phonological processing in language acquisition 249
- Corrective feedback and working memory capacity 279
- The interaction between feedback exposure condition and phonetic coding ability 303
- The role of explicit language aptitude in implicit, explicit, and mixed feedback conditions 327
- Index 351
