Meuter, Renata (2012) Applying priming methods to L2 learning, teaching and research: insights from psycholinguistics (review). Language Magazine, 88(3), pp. 675-678.

 

Priming is the principle experimental methodology used to explore L2 acquisition, learners’ understanding of L2, and L2 production. Priming refers to the facilitation of behavioural responses to a stimulus as a result of prior experience with another stimulus in some way similar to it.

The research articulates why priming methodology can provide valuable insights into L2 comprehension and production in learners, and how the findings are relevant to the teaching of L2 in the classroom. Variations of semantic, auditory, and syntactic priming are applied to a gamut of L2 learning and teaching questions.

Using semantic priming, Altarriba and Knickerbocker compared three methods of teaching L2 vocabulary: via direct translations, colour pictures, and black-and-white pictures. When comparing groups of learners - each using a different learning method - all methods appeared equally effective. Interestingly, when learners used all three methods, only direct translations and black-and-white pictures resulted in priming. While such learning may not be a solid basis for attaining L2 fluency, this methods might help beginning learners construct a basic L2 lexicon.

Barcroft, Sommers, and Sunderman use auditory priming to evaluate two further L2 vocabulary teaching methods (the Keyword method and rote rehearsal). The keyword method involves mediated learning, linking new L2 words with another known L1 word through the use of mnemonics. The orthographic similarity between L2 and L1 words should facilitate lexical access. However, the unrelated L1 words might affect the semantic representations of the L2 vocabulary by forming irrelevant associations. In the study of rote learning L1 primes were related (via the Keyword Method), or were similar to targets (or not). Learners produced the L2 translation of the target word following the prime. The size of the new vocabulary was similar for both methods, however response times were longer for the Keyword Method.

Williams and Cheung focused on semantic representations, using variations of semantic priming to determine how meanings are associated with new L2 vocabulary. They studied the learning of L3 words via L2 and tested for priming from L3 to L1. The priming task involved newly learned words in L3, and lexical decisions on targets consisting of L1 words and nonwords. Interestingly, new L3 words produced semantic priming effects but - if acquired through the translation - only for direct translations and not associates. When acquired in context, they also primed L1 words for the associated items. Thus newly learned words in another language take on only those aspects of the L1 meaning that were active during the time of learning.

Semantic representation with regards to L2 phonology is studied by Trofimovich. He explores if mispronunciations of L2 words reflect a lack of distinctions at the lexical level. Using auditory priming with direct repetitions and phonologically contrasting words shows that native speakers do not experience priming for contrasting words but L2 speakers do, for these items have the same phonological entry in their lexicon. Establishing a more native-like L2 lexicon implies picture-based listening exercises to foster links between sound and meaning.

Syntactic priming is studied by McDonough. He explores whether L2 learners use certain syntactic structures more if they have just heard or used them. Pedagogically, the implications are that properly formed target structures are more likely to be produced with pre-exposure to such structures.

Segalowitz and Job focus on the commonly observed L1 and L2 proficiency differences. They exploit an attentional phenomenon, the attentional blink (AB). AB occurs when a second appearance of a stimulus, if within 200-500 ms, is not noticed. L2 speakers were shown streams of rapidly presented words to determine how efficiently they accessed the words’ lexical representations, and how this impacted differences in L2 proficiency. Smaller AB effects occurred for L2. Lexical access is more efficient in L1 compared to L2, and more efficient in L2 with increased proficiency. Thus two aspects of L2 processing can be targeted in L2 learning: 1) the efficiency with which meaning is accessed, a skill that can be promoted through activities involving repetition; 2) the ability to recruit attention to process accessed meanings, a skill that can be fostered using open-ended activities.

Leeser, Brandl, and Weissglass focus on methodology. They consider the impact of a secondary task on on-line L2 processing. A self-paced reading task revealed that the readers are more attuned to grammatical violations if the secondary task involves grammatical judgements. Interestingly, L2 learners could detect one type of grammatical violation but only when asked to make grammatical judgements, not with a secondary comprehension task. The fact that a task can bias readers towards certain aspects of the stimuli has some methodological implications.

Hu and Jiang focus on L2 listening comprehension ability, where one vital cognitive skill is semantic integration. Using cross-modal priming, they compared listening comprehension in L2 learners and native speakers. Sentences were presented auditorily; each letterstring was presented visually and required a lexical decision. The words either fitted the preceding sentence context or not. Native speakers showed both facilitory and inhibitory effects whereas L2 learners showed only a facilitory effect, indicating poorer semantic integration ability. Here, one suggested pedagogical approach to foster L2 semantic integration ability involves activities that encourage learners to draw inferences from the sentence context.

Sunderman describes the application of the false memory paradigm to explore semantic associations between L2 words in the learner’s lexicon and the link with L2 proficiency. He found that greater proficiency may be synonymous with a greater ability to activate semantically associated words in L2, evidence of conceptual mediation. Interestingly, more proficient L2 learners also performed better in L1, highlighting the link between L1 performance and attention in L2.

A comprehensive study of priming methodology in the L2 teaching and learning arena facilitates our understanding of the psycholinguistic bases of language learning. The resulting advance in our awareness of the cognitive underpinnings of L2 processing and acquisition can only foster more effective L2 learning and teaching methods, thus contributing to more proficient and native-like L2 speakers.