ERIC Number: EJ1008780
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Mar
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0278-7393
EISSN: N/A
Lexical Integration of Novel Words without Sleep
Lindsay, Shane; Gaskell, M. Gareth
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, v39 n2 p608-622 Mar 2013
Learning a new word involves integration with existing lexical knowledge. Previous work has shown that sleep-associated memory consolidation processes are important for the engagement of novel items in lexical competition. In 3 experiments we used spaced exposure regimes to investigate memory for novel words and whether lexical integration can occur within a single day. The degree to which a new spoken word (e.g., "cathedruke") engaged in lexical competition with established phonological neighbors (e.g., "cathedral") was employed as a marker for lexical integration. We found evidence for improvements in recognition and cued recall following a time period including sleep, but we also found lexical competition effects emerging within a single day. Spaced exposure to novel words on its own did not bring about this within-day lexical competition effect (Experiment 2), which instead occurred with either spaced or massed exposure to novel words, provided that there was also spaced exposure to the phonological neighbors (Experiments 1 and 3). Although previous studies have indicated that sleep-dependent memory consolidation may be sufficient for lexical integration, our results show it is not a necessary precondition. (Contains 5 tables, 3 figures and 2 footnotes.)
Descriptors: Vocabulary Development, Language Acquisition, English, Sleep, Role, Memory, Language Processing, Novelty (Stimulus Dimension), Word Recognition, Phonology, Semantics, Decision Making, Reaction Time, Task Analysis, Cues, Foreign Countries, Recall (Psychology)
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A