Acquisition Of Implicit Knowledge Research Articles

Implicit Knowledge Acquisition and Potential Challenges for Advanced Chinese and Spanish EFL Learners: A Word Monitoring Test on English Questions.

This study aims to explore whether advanced EFL learners can acquire implicit knowledge of basic sentence structures, such as English questions. We ran a reaction-time experiment, a word monitoring test experiment to test learners' implicit knowledge by checking advanced EFL learners' grammatical sensitivity to English questions with five types of grammatical errors. The study recruited three groups of participants: native English speakers (n = 12), advanced Chinese EFL learners (n = 32), and advanced Spanish EFL learners (n = 37). Our results revealed that advanced EFL learners had not yet attained native-equivalent implicit grammar knowledge in English questions, despite their English proficiency level. The results also indicated that the learners' different L1 languages do not impact advanced learners' overall implicit knowledge acquisition but constitute influential factors for particular morphosyntactic inflections in English question formation.

How knowledge acquisition creates a competitive edge? A qualitative inquiry from international consultancy alliance

PurposeThe current study attempts to bridge the existing gap related to the role of knowledge acquisition from international alliance partners to improve competitiveness by examining the distinct processes of knowledge acquisition and the challenges confronted in this learning process in order to enhance local and international market performance.Design/methodology/approachFollowing case-study approach based on systematic combining, the study presents a case of knowledge acquisition and learning in the context of an international consultancy alliance between leading Pakistani and Chinese engineering firms using six in-depth interviews of key engineers to explore the dynamic mechanisms for knowledge acquisition and learning from the Chinese firm. Grounded analysis drawn upon the Straussian version of grounded theory (GT) {{Strauss, 1990 #136} Strauss, 1998 #139} is used for data analysis in this research.FindingsIt was found that the processes of explicit and implicit knowledge acquisition from Chinese firms are integrated consultancy working, social and technical adaptability and seeking confirmation about the work done and knowledge/theories and models used in work. However, these processes are quite complex, posing serious challenges for National Engineering Services, Pakistan to acquire the required knowledge, which can be addressed through partners' motivation to share and acquire knowledge, cultural intelligence and friendship and informal association. The study also found that the knowledge acquired from technologically advanced international organizations by the host partner in the international strategic alliance not only provides a competitive edge to the local host in its local market but also builds its capacity to undertake similar projects in other parts of the world, substantially enhancing its market success.Originality/valueAdding up to the current literature that focuses on knowledge acquisition in a parent-subsidiary relationship, the current research proposes a framework for knowledge acquisition in the unique context of international strategic alliances. The research provides managerial guidelines to manage knowledge acquisition for gaining a competitive edge that would be helpful for the managers in the era of growing interdependence among the organizations across the borders.

Implicit knowledge of lexical stress rules: Evidence from the combined use of subjective and objective awareness measures

ABSTRACTDespite the growing interest in the phenomenon of learning without intention, the incidental learning of phonological features, especially prosodic features, has received relatively little attention. This paper reports an experiment on incidental learning of lexical stress rules, and investigates whether the resultant knowledge can be unconscious, abstract, and rule based. Participants were incidentally exposed to a lexical stress system where stress location of a word is mainly determined by the final phoneme, syllable type, and syllable weight. Learning was assessed by a pronunciation judgment task. Results indicate that participants were able to transfer their knowledge of stress patterns to novel words whose final phoneme was not previously encountered, suggesting that participants had acquired abstract and potentially rule-based knowledge. The combined use of subjective and objective measures of awareness in the present study provides a strong piece of evidence of the acquisition of implicit knowledge.

The Interface of Explicit and Implicit Knowledge in a Second Language: Insights From Individual Differences in Cognitive Aptitudes

AbstractRecent research has called for the use of fine‐grained measures that distinguish implicit knowledge from automatized explicit knowledge. In the current study, such measures were used to determine how the two systems interact in a naturalistic second language (L2) acquisition context. One hundred advanced L2 speakers of Japanese living in Japan were assessed using tests of automatized explicit knowledge and implicit knowledge, along with tests of phonological short‐term memory and aptitude tests for explicit and implicit learning. Structural equation modeling demonstrated that aptitude for explicit learning significantly predicted acquisition of automatized explicit knowledge, and automatized explicit knowledge significantly predicted acquisition of implicit knowledge. The effects of implicit learning aptitude and phonological short‐term memory on acquisition of automatized explicit knowledge and implicit knowledge were limited. These findings provide the first empirical evidence that automatized explicit knowledge, which develops through explicit learning mechanisms, may impact the acquisition of implicit knowledge.Open PracticesThis article has been awarded an Open Materials badge. All original materials are publicly accessible in the IRIS digital repository at http://www.iris-database.org. Learn more about the Open Practices badges from the Center for Open Science: https://osf.io/tvyxz/wiki.

Sleep does not facilitate insight in older adults

Sleep has been shown to foster the process of insight generation in young adults during problem solving activities. Aging is characterized by substantial changes in sleep architecture altering memory consolidation. Whether sleep might promote the occurrence of insight in older adults as well has not yet been tested experimentally. To address this issue, we tested healthy young and old volunteers on an insight problem solving task, involving both explicit and implicit features, before and after a night of sleep or a comparable wakefulness period. Data showed that insight emerged significantly less frequently after a night of sleep in older adults compared to young. Moreover, there was no difference in the magnitude of insight occurrence following sleep and daytime -consolidation in aged participants. We further found that acquisition of implicit knowledge in the task before sleep potentiated the gain of insight in young participants, but this effect was not observed in aged participants. Overall, present findings demonstrate that a period of sleep does not significantly promote insight in problem solving in older adults.

Different Effects of Implicit and Explicit Motor Sequence Learning on Latency of Motor Evoked Potential Evoked by Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on the Primary Motor Cortex.

Motor training induces plastic changes in the primary motor cortex (M1). However, it is unclear whether and how the latency of motor-evoked potentials (MEP) and MEP amplitude are affected by implicit and/or explicit motor learning. Here, we investigated the changes in M1 excitability and MEP latency induced by implicit and explicit motor learning. The subjects performed a serial reaction time task (SRTT) with their five fingers. In this task, visual cues were lit up sequentially along with a predetermined order. Through training, the subjects learned the order of sequence implicitly and explicitly. Before and after the SRTT, we recorded MEP at 25 stimulation points around the hot spot for the flexor pollicis brevis (FPB) muscle. Although no changes in MEP amplitude were observed in either session, we found increases in MEP latency and changes in histogram of MEP latency after implicit learning. Our results suggest that reorganization across the motor cortices occurs during the acquisition of implicit knowledge. In contrast, acquisition of explicit knowledge does not appear to induce the reorganization based on the measures we recorded. The fact that the above mentioned increases in MEP latency occurred without any alterations in MEP amplitude suggests that learning has different effects on different physiological signals. In conclusion, our results propose that analyzing a combination of some indices of M1 excitability, such as MEP amplitude and MEP latency, is encouraged in order to understand plasticity across motor cortices.

The Effect of Explicit Instruction through Combined Input-Output Tasks on the Acquisition of Indirect Reported Speech in English

<p>Grammar is being rehabilitated (e.g., Doughty & Williams 1998a) and recognized for what it has always been (Thornbury, 1997, 1998, cited in Burgess & Etherington, 2002): an essential, inescapable component of language use and language learning. Few would dispute nowadays that teaching and learning with a focus on form is valuable, if not indispensable. What perhaps is still the subject of debate is the degree of explicitness such teaching and learning should display. The ultimate goal of any instruction is to make L2 learning implicit, like L1 (due to ease of access and automaticity of it). The current study examines the effect of explicit instruction on the participants’ acquisition of explicit and implicit grammatical knowledge in the case of indirect reported speech. The descriptive-survey method was used in this research. The results revealed that this type of instruction fosters both short- and long-term acquisition of explicit grammatical knowledge. However, the study could not foster the acquisition of implicit knowledge.</p>

Variability in second language learning:the roles of individual differences, learning conditions, and linguistic complexity

Second language learning outcomes are highly variable, due to a variety of factors, including individual differences, exposure conditions, and linguistic complexity. However, exactly how these factors interact to influence language learning is unknown. This paper examines the relationship between these three variables in language learners. Native English speakers were exposed to an artificial language containing three sentence patterns of varying linguistic complexity. They were randomly assigned to two groups – incidental and instructed – designed to promote the acquisition of implicit and explicit knowledge, respectively. Learning was assessed with a grammaticality judgment task, while subjective measures of awareness were used to measure whether exposure had resulted in implicit or explicit knowledge. Participants also completed cognitive tests. Awareness measures demonstrated that learners in the incidental group relied more on implicit knowledge, whereas learners in the instructed group relied more on explicit knowledge. Overall, exposure condition was the most significant predictor of performance on the grammaticality judgment task, with learners in the instructed group outperforming those in the incidental group. Performance on a procedural learning task accounted for additional variance. When outcomes were analysed according to linguistic complexity, exposure condition was the most significant predictor for two syntactic patterns, but it was not a predictor for the most complex sentence group; instead, procedural learning ability was.

The evolving role of supply chain managers in global channels of distribution and logistics systems

Purpose– Supply chains have become a strategic strength to many firms due to the nature of the globalization of business. The past roles of supply chain managers have changed dramatically and now also include various new duties that will enhance firm competitiveness due to their boundary spanning nature and the new focus of learning organizations. The paper aims to discuss these issues.Design/methodology/approach– This was a theoretically developed paper exploring trust, learning organizations, and supply chains.Findings– Researchers are now focussing on the relationship among the supply chain network through the paradigm of relational marketing as the governance structures of contractual arrangements globally cannot be anticipated.Originality/value– The research through the lens of relational marketing explores how supply chain managers’ core duties are now compounded by global/cultural nuances in respect to implicit knowledge acquisition and relationship development through strong-form trust.

Collaborative knowledge acquisition for the design of context-aware alert systems

To present a framework for combining implicit knowledge acquisition from multiple experts with machine learning and to evaluate this framework in the context of anemia alerts. Five internal medicine residents reviewed 18 anemia alerts, while 'talking aloud'. They identified features that were reviewed by two or more physicians to determine appropriate alert level, etiology and treatment recommendation. Based on these features, data were extracted from 100 randomly-selected anemia cases for a training set and an additional 82 cases for a test set. Two staff internists assigned an alert level, etiology and treatment recommendation before and after reviewing the entire electronic medical record. The training set of 118 cases (100 plus 18) and the test set of 82 cases were explored using RIDOR and JRip algorithms. The feature set was sufficient to assess 93% of anemia cases (intraclass correlation for alert level before and after review of the records by internists 1 and 2 were 0.92 and 0.95, respectively). High-precision classifiers were constructed to identify low-level alerts (precision p=0.87, recall R=0.4), iron deficiency (p=1.0, R=0.73), and anemia associated with kidney disease (p=0.87, R=0.77). It was possible to identify low-level alerts and several conditions commonly associated with chronic anemia. This approach may reduce the number of clinically unimportant alerts. The study was limited to anemia alerts. Furthermore, clinicians were aware of the study hypotheses potentially biasing their evaluation. Implicit knowledge acquisition, collaborative filtering and machine learning were combined automatically to induce clinically meaningful and precise decision rules.

Parkinson’s Disease Progression: Implicit Acquisition, Cognitive and Motor Impairments, and Medication Effects

Parkinson’s disease (PD) symptoms have been collectively ascribed to malfunctioning of dopamine-related nigro-striatal and cortico-striatal loops. However, some doubts about this proposition are raised by controversies about the temporal progression of the impairments, and whether they are concomitant or not. The present study consists of a systematic revision of literature data on both functional PD impairments and dopaminergic medication effects in order to draw a coherent picture about the disease progression. It was done in terms of an explanatory model for the disruption of implicit knowledge acquisition, motor and cognitive impairments, and the effects of dopaminergic medication on these functions. Cognitive impairments arise at early stages of PD and stabilizes while disruption of implicit knowledge acquisition and motor impairments, are still in progression; additionally, dopaminergic medication reduces motor impairments and increases disruption of implicit knowledge acquisition. Since this model revealed consistency and plausibility when confronted with data of others studies not included in model’s formulation, it may turn out to be a useful tool for understanding the multifaceted characteristics of PD.

Anticipatory Control of Grasping: Independence of Sensorimotor Memories for Kinematics and Kinetics

We have recently provided evidence for anticipatory grasp control mechanisms in the kinematic domain by showing that subjects modulate digit placement on an object based on its center of mass (CM) when it can be anticipated (Lukos et al., 2007). This behavior relied on sensorimotor memories about digit contact points and forces required for optimal manipulation. We found that accurate sensorimotor memories depended on the acquisition of implicit knowledge about object properties associated with repeated manipulations of the same object. Whereas implicit knowledge of object properties is essential for anticipatory grasp control, the extent to which subjects can use explicit knowledge to accurately scale digit forces in an anticipatory manner is controversial. Additionally, it is not known whether subjects are able to use explicit knowledge of object properties for anticipatory control of contact points. We addressed this question by asking subjects to grasp and lift an object while providing explicit knowledge of object CM location as visual or verbal cues. Contact point modulation and object roll, a measure of anticipatory force control, were assessed using blocked and random CM presentations. We found that explicit knowledge of object CM enabled subjects to modulate contact points. In contrast, subjects could not minimize object roll in the random condition to the same extent as in the blocked when provided with a verbal or visual cue. These findings point to a dissociation in the effect of explicit knowledge of object properties on grasp kinematics versus kinetics, thus suggesting independent anticipatory processes for grasping.

Working memory and acquisition of implicit knowledge by imagery training, without actual task performance

This study investigated acquisition of a mirror-reading skill via imagery training, without the actual performance of a mirror-reading task. In experiment I, healthy volunteers simulated writing on an imaginary, transparent screen placed at eye level, which could be read by an experimenter facing the subject. Performance of this irrelevant motor task required the subject to imagine the letters inverted, as if seen in a mirror from their own point of view (imagery training). A second group performed the same imagery training interspersed with a complex, secondary spelling and counting task. A third, control, group simply wrote the words as they would normally appear from their own point of view. After training with 300 words, all subjects were tested in a mirror-reading task using 60 non-words, constructed according to acceptable letter combinations of the Portuguese language. Compared with control subjects, those exposed to imagery training, including those who switched between imagery and the complex task, exhibited shorter reading times in the mirror-reading task. Experiment II employed a 2×3 design, including two training conditions (imagery and actual mirror-reading) and three competing task conditions (a spelling and counting switching task, a visual working memory concurrent task, and no concurrent task). Training sessions were interspersed with mirror-reading testing sessions for non-words, allowing evaluation of the mirror-reading acquisition process during training. The subjects exposed to imagery training acquired the mirror-reading skill as quickly as those exposed to the actual mirror-reading task. Further, performance of concurrent tasks together with actual mirror-reading training severely disrupted mirror-reading skill acquisition; this interference effect was not seen in subjects exposed to imagery training and performance of the switching and the concurrent tasks. These results unequivocally show that acquisition of implicit skills by top-down imagery training is at least as efficient as bottom-up acquisition.

A Model for Acquisition of Implicit Design Knowledge Based on KDD

Knowledge discovery in database (KDD) represents a new direction of data processing and knowledge innovation. Design is a knowledge-intensive process driven by various design objectives. Implicit knowledge acquisition is key and difficult for the intelligent design system applied to mechanical product design. In this study, the characteristic of implicit design knowledge and KDD are analyzed, a model for product design knowledge acquisition is set up, and the key techniques including the expression and application of domain knowledge and the methods of knowledge discovery are discussed. It is illustrated by an example that the method proposed can be used to obtain the engineering knowledge in design case effectively, and can promote the quality and intelligent standard of product design.

DOES FORM-FOCUSED INSTRUCTION AFFECT THE ACQUISITION OF IMPLICIT KNOWLEDGE?

The extent to which form-focused instruction contributes to the acquisition of second language implicit knowledge is controversial. Whereas Krashen (1993) has argued that the effects of FFI on acquisition are peripheral, N. Ellis (this issue) sees FFI as facilitative and even necessary for developing implicit L2 knowledge. This article examines the role of FFI in developing implicit knowledge by reviewing 11 studies that have examined the effect of FFI on learners' free production. The review suggests that FFI can contribute to the acquisition of implicit knowledge and points to two variables that appear to influence its success—the choice of the target structure and the extent of the instruction. FFI involving extensive instruction directed at “simple” structures was more likely to succeed. However, limited instruction directed at complex structures also proved effective, provided that the target structures are readily available in noninstructional input.

A fuzzy backpropagation algorithm

This paper presents an extension of the standard backpropagation algorithm (SBP). The proposed learning algorithm is based on the fuzzy integral of Sugeno and thus called fuzzy backpropagation (FBP) algorithm. Necessary and sufficient conditions for convergence of FBP algorithm for single-output networks in case of single- and multiple-training patterns are proved. A computer simulation illustrates and confirms the theoretical results. FBP algorithm shows considerably greater convergence rate compared to SBP algorithm. Other advantages of FBP algorithm are that it reaches forward to the target value without oscillations, requires no assumptions about probability distribution and independence of input data. The convergence conditions enable training by automation of weights tuning process (quasi-unsupervised learning) pointing out the interval where the target value belongs to. This supports acquisition of implicit knowledge and ensures wide application, e.g. for creation of adaptable user interfaces, assessment of products, intelligent data analysis, etc.

Implicit learning of tonality: a self-organizing approach.

Tonal music is a highly structured system that is ubiquitous in our cultural environment. We demonstrate the acquisition of implicit knowledge of tonal structure through neural self-organization resulting from mere exposure to simultaneous and sequential combinations of tones. In the process of learning, a network with fundamental neural constraints comes to internalize the essential correlational structure of tonal music. After learning, the network was run through a range of experiments from the literature. The model provides a parsimonious account of a variety of empirical findings dealing with the processing of tone, chord, and key relationships, including relatedness judgments, memory judgments, and expectancies. It also illustrates the plausibility of activation being a unifying mechanism underlying a range of cognitive tasks.

User-model-driven generation of instructions

There has been a great deal of research on specific issues of user modeling (e.g., generation of explanations (Paris 88), implicit knowledge acquisition (Kass, Finin 87), exploitation of user feedback to compensate for the unreliability of user models (Moore, Paris 92), but to our knowledge no work has been done on how to integrate this work into a single system. In TECHDOC-I we combine a number of ideas and work from various areas in a single system, add some unique features (e.g., application of a double-stereotype mechanism to plan representation), and apply them to a new domain (instructions for car maintenance). TECHDOC-I provides support to a user in the area of car maintenance. All maintenance activities are represented by plans, which consist of plan steps. The dialogue between user and system is based on these plans. A user model ensures that the system adapts the content of the output to the user. The commands and explanations are given in natural language that is generated by a (multilingual) text generator.

The Development of the Display and Knowledge of Sex Related Motor Behavior in Children

Three hundred and eighty male and female school children in grades K, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 were evaluated on a checklist of sex related motor behavior (sex-typed mannerisms and gestures). Subjects were evaluated walking, standing, and sitting in a natural state and when asked to act like members of the opposite sex. Results showed that males and females first showed some differences in sex related motor behavior in kindergarten. These became clear cut by the fourth grade and increased steadily after that time. Sex differences were shown first in sitting patterns, and then walking patterns. Differences in standing developed rather late. The ability to modify sex related motor behavior when asked to act like a member of the opposite sex was evident from the earliest grade and increased steadily across the grades. Apparently, the acquisition of implicit knowledge about sex differences in motor behavior occurs concurrently or before the actual display of these characteristics.