Does domain-general auditory processing uniquely explain the outcomes of second language speech acquisition, even once cognitive and demographic variables are accounted for?

Abstract

Extending the paradigm in L1 acquisition, scholars have begun to investigate whether participants’ domain-general ability to represent, encode, and integrate spectral and temporal dimensions of sounds (i.e., auditory processing) could be a potential determinant of the outcomes of post-pubertal L2 speech learning. The current study set out to test the hypothesis that auditory processing makes a unique contribution to L2 speech acquisition, for 70 Japanese classroom learners of English with different levels of L2 proficiency when biographical backgrounds (length of instruction and immersion) and memory abilities (working, declarative, and procedural memory) are controlled for. Auditory processing loaded onto modality-general capacities to represent and incorporate anchor stimuli (relative to target stimuli) into long-term memory in an implicit fashion, but dissociated from explicit abilities to remember, associate, and elaborate sensory information. Auditory processing explained a small-to-medium amount of variance in L2 speech learning, even after the other potentially confounding variables were statistically factored out.

How does having a good ear promote successful second language speech acquisition in adulthood? Introducing Auditory Precision Hypothesis-L2

“…However, the study here at least hints at the possibility that auditory processing may be distinct from explicit cognitive abilities and instead related to implicit and procedural memory. The suggestions here support the view that the test of auditory processing may trigger implicit statistical learning of the distribution of stimuli across trials (combining the prior stimulus distribution and the acoustic representations of each incoming stimulus; Raviv et al, 2012; for a more detailed discussion on the role of implicit statistical learning in auditory processing, see Saito et al, in press-a).…”

“…Furthermore, in the context of 70 Japanese speakers of English with varied experience and proficiency levels, Saito et al (in press-a) examined the extent to which auditory processing and cognitive abilities interacted to determine the rate of success in L2 speech proficiency. The results of the correlation analyses showed that all variables were equally related to L2 speech outcomes.…”

Domain-general auditory processing as a conceptual and measurement framework for second language speech learning aptitude: A test-retest reliability study

“…One promising direction is to investigate the unique contribution of auditory processing to L2 speech learning when other cognitive skills are controlled for statistically. In the context of adult L2 learners, for example, Saito, Cui et al (2022) recently provided cross-sectional evidence that perceptual acuity (assessed using the discrimination tasks) and explicit analytic abilities (assessed using the simple and complex working memory tasks) independently predicted variance in L2 speech acquisition. Following this line of thought, it would be intriguing to examine how participants with different levels of perceptual-cognitive abilities (including auditory processing) develop their L2 speech abilities when undergoing different types of training (e.g., input-vs. outputbased; form-vs. meaning-oriented).…”

How Does Having a Good Ear Promote Instructed Second Language Pronunciation Development? Roles of Domain‐General Auditory Processing in Choral Repetition Training

“…In order to tease out the effects of auditory processing in L2 speech acquisition, future studies may need to assess and factor out participants’ individual differences in executive functioning (cf. Saito et al., in press). The current study (together with precursor research such as Saito, Suzukida, et al., 2021) has suggested that auditory acuity and audio‐motor integration represent two different kinds of auditory processing abilities.…”