On the Role of Cognitive Abilities in Second Language Vowel Learning

Abstract

This study investigated the role of different cognitive abilities-inhibitory control, attention control, phonological short-term memory (PSTM), and acoustic short-term memory (AM)-in second language (L2) vowel learning. The participants were 40 Azerbaijani learners of Standard Southern British English. Their perception of L2 vowels was tested through a perceptual discrimination task before and after five sessions of high-variability phonetic training. Inhibitory control was significantly correlated with gains from training in the discrimination of L2 vowel pairs. However, there were no significant correlations between attention control, AM, PSTM, and gains from training. These findings suggest the potential role of inhibitory control in L2 phonological learning. We suggest that inhibitory control facilitates the processing of L2 sounds by allowing learners to ignore the interfering information from L1 during training, leading to better L2 segmental learning.

Vocabulary Size Is a Key Factor in Predicting Second Language Lexical Encoding Accuracy

“…Darcy et al (2015) found no association between the attention switching scores of Korean learners of English and their performance on a range of L2 phonological tasks. Similarly, Ghaffarvand Mokari and Werner (2019) found no association between attention control, as measured with a Stroop task, and Azerbaijani learners' improvement on L2 English vowels from high variability phonetic training.…”

“…In a similar study, did find that stronger inhibitory control was related to more accurate perception by L1 Spanish learners of English, although not if they were L1 Spanish-L1 Catalan bilinguals. Ghaffarvand Mokari and Werner (2019) also tested inhibitory skill with a version of the retrieval-induced inhibition task. They reported a positive relationship with inhibitory control and perception for the acquisition of British English vowels by Azerbaijani learners.…”

Auditory processing as perceptual, cognitive, and motoric abilities underlying successful second language acquisition: Interaction model.

“…The extant literature suggests that cognitive individual differences in attentional control may be associated with L2 phonetic learning (Darcy et al, 2015) and L2 morphosyntax learning (Ellis, 2006). However, there is mixed evidence for the predictive power of selective attention when L2 learners engage in phonetic training (Mora-Plaza, Saito, et al, 2022; Mora-Plaza, Ortega, & Mora, 2022 vs. Ghaffarvand Mokari & Werner, 2018).…”

Training auditory processing promotes second language speech acquisition.

“…Much of the research on the ultimate attainment of L2 speech has focused on demographic factors as predictors of learning success (e.g., length of immersion, Flege et al, 1995; timing of immersion, Abrahamsson & Hyltenstam, 2009; frequency of L2 use, Derwing & Munro, 2013; native vs. nonnative interlocutors, Flege & Liu, 2001; and classroom vs. immersion learning context, Mora & Valls-Ferrer, 2012). Other scholars have investigated learner-internal perceptual-cognitive predictors (e.g., Darcy et al, 2015, for working memory; Linck et al, 2013, for implicit and statistical learning abilities; Mora-Plaza et al, 2021, for attention and switching; Ghaffarvand Mokari & Werner, 2019, for inhibitory control; Hu et al, 2013, for phonemic coding; Saito, 2017, for foreign language aptitude). One perceptual ability that has attracted increasing research attention is auditory processing ability (e.g., Mueller et al, 2012).…”