Abstract

This study examines the generalizability of claims by Reber (1989, 1993) about the implicit learning of artificial grammars to the context of adult second language acquisition (SLA). In the field of SLA Krashen (1981, 1982, 1985, 1994) has made claims parallel to those of Reber regarding the differential effectiveness of conscious learning of rules and unconscious incidental acquisition of rules. Specifically addressed are Reber's and Krashen's claims that (a) implicit learning is more effective than explicit learning when the stimulus domain is complex, and (b) explicit learning of simple and complex stimulus domains is possible if the underlying rules are made salient. One hundred four adult learners of English as a second language were randomly assigned to implicit, incidental, rule-search, or instructed computerized training conditions. Speed and accuracy of judgments of novel tokens of easy and hard rule sentence types presented during training were used as dependent measures. Results do not support the first of Reber's and Krashen's claims but do support the second. Implicit learners do not outperform other learners on complex rules, but instructed learners outperform all others in learning simple rules. Analyses of the effect of sentence type and grammaticality on learning suggest a transfer-appropriate processing account of the relationship among consciousness, rule awareness, training, and transfer task performance.

Highlights

  • Immersion experiences like the one described in this article naturally lead to implicit learning which is considered to be very advantageous for the development of structures in the L2 that are difficult to learn explicitly (Robinson, 1996), perhaps because of the distance between the L1 and the L2, as it would be the case of the Saxon genitive in English

  • This conclusion is backed by the results of this study, even for a subject with developed literacy skills who is younger than the informants in Llanes and Muñoz’s study

  • It is interesting that both informants developed sufficient linguistic skills in the language of immersion in a period of eight months and both could fully perform in their respective environments, as suggested by their teachers in their questionnaires

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Summary

Introduction

The effects of learning context on L2 acquisition, and especially the impact of intensive exposure in adult language development have been widely studied in recent years (Collentine, 2009; Llanes, 2012; Muñoz, 2012; Regan, Howard & Lemée, 2009) and many other studies have dealt with the study of child language acquisition in permanent immersion (Bongartz & Schneider, 2003; Cummins, 2005; Kovelman, Baker & Petitto, 2008; McLaughlin, 2013; Paradis, 2007), but little research has focused on the effect of temporary naturalistic immersion experiences on children (Llanes & Muñoz, 2013; Serrano, Tragant & Llanes, 2012), probably due to the fact that children are assumed to overcome the linguistic challenge more than adults, and that it is generally more difficult to conduct individualised research with children outside the teaching context due to a number of methodological considerations.

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