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IMPLICIT LEARNING OF SEMANTIC PREFERENCES OF VERBS

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 April 2015

Albertyna Paciorek  and
John N. Williams
Albertyna Paciorek*
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
John N. Williams
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
*
*Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Albertyna Paciorek, Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, CB3 9DP. E-mail: tina.paciorek@gmail.com
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Abstract

Previous studies of semantic implicit learning in language have only examined learning grammatical form-meaning connections in which learning could have been supported by prior linguistic knowledge. In this study we target the domain of verb meaning, specifically semantic preferences regarding novel verbs (e.g., the preference for a novel verb to take abstract objects). Using a reaction time methodology we show that, after exposure to correct verb-noun combinations, reaction times to incorrect combinations are slowed down even for participants who are unaware of the semantic regularity. This effect was obtained on a decision that was irrelevant to the actual underlying regularity, suggesting that the knowledge that has been acquired exerts its influence automatically, hence satisfying one criterion for implicitness. Combined with a lack of verbalizable knowledge, these experiments provide strong evidence for semantic implicit learning in language.

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Studies in Second Language Acquisition , Volume 37 , Special Issue 2: New Directions in the Study of Implicit and Explicit Learning , June 2015 , pp. 359 - 382
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Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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