Vocabulary Acquisition in Beginner L2 Learners

This project focuses on how different vocabulary teaching methods may develop efficient lexical-semantic networks in L2 learners. Vocabulary that frequently co-occurs in the environment becomes associated in the lexicon (e.g., food + sports) and it strengthens the representation of vocabulary. This experiment tests the effect of co-occurrence presentation and thematic list presentation on vocabulary processing. The goal is to inform vocabulary teaching methods. L2 learners completed a pre-test, four sessions of vocabulary training, and an immediate post-test. During training sessions, participants saw images on a computer and reviewed Spanish vocabulary, under one of two conditions: one word presented at a time in thematic lists (e.g., food), or words displayed in a visual scene or context (e.g., dinner party). During testing, participants completed a picture naming task to assess how different types of vocabulary exposure impacts L2 processing. Other individual differences such as working memory and proficiency were collected as well. The results from the picture naming task show that effectiveness of training in thematic list (TL) verse visual scene (VS) depended on initial proficiency and working memory. Participants with a higher initial proficiency and working memory improved more when trained with the VS condition, while those with lower proficiency and working memory had greater success when trained via the TL condition.