A translation-based generation effect in bilingual recall and recognition

Abstract

Two experiments were performed with incidental study procedures in which generation effects were observed for relatively balanced French-English bilingual subjects on measures of both free recall and recognition. Experiment 1 used a within-subject design, and Experiment 2 used a between-subject design. In both experiments, reading translations and reading same-language repetitions generally resulted in similar amounts of retention. Experiment 2 and Experiment 3 also showed that the generation effect was abolished under intentional study procedures because of an enhancement of reading-based retention. The results suggested that previous failures to obtain a translation-based generation effect may have been due to the use of intentional study procedures. The pattern of effects was explained in terms of a single-code model of bilingual linguistic representation and an individual-item processing interpretation of the generation effect.

The generation effect: A meta-analytic review

“…These searches resulted in usable data from 86 studies with a total of 445 measures of the generation effect size on the basis of 17,711 subjects, some of which were derived from nonindependent samples within a single experiment. Primary studies were excluded for a number of reasons, including the use of memory tests other than free recall, cued recall, or recognition (e.g., J. C. Brown et al, 1993;Java, 1996); bilingual subjects (e.g., O'Neill, Roy, & Tremblay, 1993); subjects from clinical samples (e.g., Pring, 1988); or pictures as stimuli (e.g., Peynircio lu, 1989). In addition, only the data from initial tests were used in studies that reported the results of multiple-trial testing (e.g., McFarland, Warren, & Crockard, 1985).…”

Effects of Opportunities for Word Retrieval During Second Language Vocabulary Learning

“…However, these studies focused on training patterns but did not compare directly the effects of retrieval versus no-retrieval conditions. Other studies (Basi, Thomas, & Wang, 1997;O'Neill, Roy, & Tremblay, 1993) have demonstrated the generation effect among bilinguals using two different languages. However, this research still focuses on memory for previously acquired words (albeit in two languages) as opposed to the memory for new word forms and the development of form-meaning connections during vocabulary learning.…”

“…2 2 Since Slamecka and Graf's (1978) study, numerous other studies have been conducted on the generalizability of the generation effect and related effects (see, e.g., Basi et al, 1997; Begg & Snider, 1987; Crutcher & Healy, 1989; Gardiner & Rowley, 1984; Greene, 1988; Johns & Swanson, 1988; McDaniel et al, 1988; McElroy & Slamecka, 1982; Nairne & Widner, 1988; O'Neill et al, 1993; Payne et al, 1986; Schmidt & Cherry, 1989; Slamecka & Fevreiski, 1983; Slamecka & Katsaiti, 1987; Smith & Healy, 1998; Thompson & Barnett, 1981). …”

The Generation Effect in Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment

“…According to O'Neill et al and Watkins and Sechler, 58,59 the incidental learning conditions in which this experiment has been carried out, have also proved to be effective to get a robust GE on both healthy and MCI participants.…”

“…Since some studies 58,59 have shown that GE is more robust in incidental learning conditions (ie, when participants are not informed that they will be tested later on), the participants in the current study were not informed that they would later be asked to recall the words they were reading or generating.…”