Individual differences in attention control and the processing of phonological contrasts in a second language

Author:

Mora Joan C.1ORCID,Darcy Isabelle2ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Department of Modern Languages and Literatures and English Studies , Faculty of Philology and Communication, Universitat de Barcelona , Barcelona , Spain

2. Department of Second Language Studies , Indiana University , Bloomington , IN , USA

Abstract

Abstract This study investigated attention control in L2 phonological processing from a cognitive individual differences perspective, to determine its role in predicting phonological acquisition in adult L2 learning. Participants were 21 L1-Spanish learners of English, and 19 L1-English learners of Spanish. Attention control was measured through a novel speech-based attention-switching task. Phonological processing was assessed through a speeded ABX categorization task (perception) and a delayed sentence repetition task (production). Correlational analyses indicated that learners with more efficient attention switching skill and faster speed in correctly identifying the target phonetic features in the speech dimension under focus could perceptually discriminate L2 vowels at higher processing speed, but not at higher accuracy rates. Thus, attentional flexibility provided a processing advantage for difficult L2 contrasts but did not predict the extent to which precise representations for the target L2 vowels had been established. However, attention control was related to L2 learners’ ability to distinguish the contrasting L2 vowels in production. In addition, L2 learners’ accuracy in perceptually distinguishing between two contrasting vowels was significantly related to how much of a quality distinction between them they could make in production.

Funder

Grant-in-Aid

Spanish Ministry of Economics and Competitivity

Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities

AGAUR

Publisher

Walter de Gruyter GmbH

Subject

Linguistics and Language,Acoustics and Ultrasonics,Language and Linguistics

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5. Bradlow, Ann R., Reiko Akahane-Yamada, David B. Pisoni & Yoh’ichi Tohkura. 1999. Training Japanese listeners to identify English/r/and/l: Long-term retention of learning in perception and production. Perception & Psychophysics 61(5). 977–985. https://doi.org/10.3758/bf03206911.

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