Priming Ditransitives in Native Speakers and Learners of Mandarin: Error‐Driven Learning Affects Production but Not Real‐Time Predictive Processing

Abstract This study investigated whether structural priming, as a reflection of error‐driven implicit learning mechanisms, could lead first language speakers and classroom learners (including heritage speakers and second language learners) of Mandarin to adapt their productions and real‐time predictions of dative constructions. Participants completed a visual world eye tracking + structural priming (VWSP) task where they took turns reading aloud sentences (prime trials) and listening to sentences while looking at visual scenes (target trials) containing three entities (agent, theme, recipient). They also completed written picture description tasks eliciting dative sentences before and after the VWSP task. The results revealed no immediate priming effects or longer‐term adaptation in real‐time prediction. Nevertheless, the priming treatment led to longer‐term adaptation in production in a 1‐day delayed posttest. Notably, the patterns of change reflect error‐driven learning in accords with different initial biases of the target dative verbs among different types of language users.