Pictorial Referents Facilitate Recognition and Retrieval Speeds of Associations Between Novel Words in a Second Language (L2) and Referents

Xinyi Liu,Shushi Namba,Yutao Yang,Yan Yan,Toshimune Kambara,Misa Ando,Ukwueze Jonah Obinna,Hiroki Horinouchi

doi:10.3389/fcomm.2021.605009

Xinyi Liu, Shushi Namba + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2021.605009

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Abstract

This study reveals associative processes for novel words in a second language (L2) and their referents. Thirty Japanese participants learned associative pairs for novel words in Chinese and pictorial referents (CP), as well as novel words in Chinese and words in Japanese (CJ), against a condition in which they learned only novel words in Chinese (C). After the learning phase, participants conducted two learning condition retrieval tasks for word recognition and three recognition tasks for the source-monitoring of the referents. The correct answers for each recognition task were provided to participants after each trial. Although the correct answers in all conditions increased in both the recognition and learning condition retrieval tasks, there was no significant difference among conditions. In contrast, the response times of the correct trials in all recognition tasks and the first learning condition retrieval tasks were faster for the CP condition than the CJ condition. Additionally, in the second learning condition retrieval task, missed items in associative conditions (CP and CJ conditions) were judged to be learned items more often than unlearned items, whereas missed items in the non-associative condition (C condition) were judged to be unlearned items more than learned items. These findings suggest that pictures contribute to the recognition and retrieval speeds of associations between novel words in L2 and referents, and that associative learning of L2 words and referents could enhance more familiarity effects than the learning of L2 words only.

Highlights

Words consist of associations between word forms and referents, including sensorimotor, emotional, and abstract features, gained through the learners’ experiences (Paivio, 1986; Pulvermüller, 2003; Kambara et al, 2020)
These findings suggest that when words and non-verbal inputs are associatively learned, the associative learning of words and pictures is superior to the associative learning of words and words
The results showed that performances of the second and third recognition tasks were significantly higher than those on the first recognition task in the Chinese and pictorial referents (CP) and CJ conditions, whereas there was no significant difference between the performances of the second and third recognition tasks in the CP and CJ conditions

Summary

Introduction

Words consist of associations between word forms and referents, including sensorimotor, emotional, and abstract features, gained through the learners’ experiences (Paivio, 1986; Pulvermüller, 2003; Kambara et al, 2020). The recall of English words was better for the picture condition than for the translated and copied conditions (Paivio and Lambert, 1981; Paivio, 1986) These findings suggest that when words and non-verbal inputs (e.g., visual features, auditory features, and so on) are associatively learned (dual coding theory), the associative learning of words and pictures is superior to the associative learning of words and words (picture superiority effect; Paivio, 1986; Carpenter and Olson, 2012; Emirmustafaoglu and Gökmen, 2015). When participants directly learn associative pairs of word forms in L2 and referents, pictorial referents could facilitate the learning of these associations

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