The role of prediction in novel vocabulary learning from context

在阅读句子时，说话者会对即将出现的单词做出预测。预测可以帮助处理，因为说话者可以在信息在句子中呈现之前获得信息。然而，句子中单词的可预测性可能会支持或阻碍长期记忆。一方面，句子中出现的单词会让人对某个特定的单词产生强烈的期望（例如，她读了这本书），因为它们证实了期望，所以记忆效果更好。另一方面，在句子中出现的单词（例如，她移动了书）也因为它们的独特性而被记住。本项目将探讨母语（第一语言）和非母语（第二语言）使用者对记忆和学习的预测结果。生成预测可以支持母语使用者的单词学习。然而，尽管说第二语言的人比说第一语言的人更成功地掌握新词，但对第二语言的人来说，预测新词的速度更慢，也更费力。因此，母语和第二语言使用者是否依赖相似的过程来学习新词汇尚不清楚。我们将研究句子语境中的预测如何影响母语和二语使用者的单词学习。学习将通过跟踪说话者的眼球运动和单词知识测试来评估。我们还将在各种可预测和不可预测的句子中研究单词可预测性与学习之间的关系，以测试句子上下文的多样性如何影响学习。这些发现将为语言习得和双语理论提供信息，对外语学习和教学具有实际意义

When reading sentences, speakers generate predictions about upcoming words. Prediction can aid processing, as speakers have access to information before it is presented in a sentence. However, the predictability of a word in a sentence may support or hinder long-term retention. On the one hand, words presented in sentences that set up strong expectations for a particular word (e.g., she read the book) are better remembered as they confirm expectations. On the other hand, words presented in sentences that do not set up any expectations (e.g., she moved the book) are also remembered well due to their distinctiveness. This project will explore the consequences of prediction for memory and learning in native (L1) and non-native (L2) speakers. Generating predictions can support word learning in L1 speakers. However, although L2 speakers acquire new words more successfully than L1 speakers, prediction is slower and more effortful for L2 speakers. Thus, it remains unclear whether L1 and L2 speakers rely on similar processes for learning new vocabulary.We will examine how prediction in sentence contexts can influence word learning in L1 and L2 speakers. Learning will be assessed by tracking speakers' eye movements and with tests of word knowledge. We will also examine the relationship between word predictability and learning in a variety of predictable and less predictable sentences to test how the diversity of sentence contexts influences learning. These findings will inform theories of language acquisition and bilingualism, with practical implications for foreign language learning and teaching