Within-language attention control in second language processing

This study investigated attention control in tasks involving the processing of relational terms (more highly grammaticized linguistic stimuli: spatial prepositions) and non-relational terms (less highly grammaticized lexical stimuli: nouns) in a first (L1) and second language (L2). Participants were...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Bilingualism (Cambridge, England) England), 2005-12, Vol.8 (3), p.195-206
Main Authors: TAUBE-SCHIFFNORMAN, MARLENE, SEGALOWITZ, NORMAN
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Attention
Attention Control
Bilingualism
Cognition & reasoning
Cognitive linguistics
Costs
Doctoral Dissertations
English
English proficiency
French
French as a second language
Grammar
Interference (Language)
Language acquisition
Language Processing
Language Proficiency
Linguistics
Memory
Morphemes
Nouns
Perceptual Impairments
Prepositions
Psycholinguistics
Research Design
Resistance (Psychology)
Second Language Learning
Semantics
Sentences
Stimuli
Task Analysis
Verbs
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Summary:This study investigated attention control in tasks involving the processing of relational terms (more highly grammaticized linguistic stimuli: spatial prepositions) and non-relational terms (less highly grammaticized lexical stimuli: nouns) in a first (L1) and second language (L2). Participants were adult bilinguals with greater proficiency in their L1 (English) than in their L2 (French) as determined by self-report and performance on a speeded word classification task. Attention control was operationalized in terms of shift costs obtained in an alternating runs experimental design (Rogers and Monsell, 1995). As hypothesized from consideration of the attention-directing functions of language, participants displayed significantly greater shift costs (lower attention control) for relational terms when performing in the L2 as compared to the L1, but no difference in shift costs for non-relational terms between the two languages. The results are discussed from a cognitive linguistic perspective and in relation to second language proficiency development.
ISSN:1366-7289
1469-1841
DOI:10.1017/S1366728905002257