Multiple components of statistical word learning are resource dependent: Evidence from a dual-task learning paradigm

Memory & Cognition, vol. 49, pp. 984–997

Abstract

It is increasingly understood that people may learn new word/object mappings in part via a form of statistical learning in which they track co-occurrences between words and objects across situations (cross-situational learning). Multiple learning processes contribute to this, thought to reflect the simultaneous influence of real-time hypothesis testing and graduate learning. It is unclear how these processes interact, and if any require explicit cognitive resources. To manipulate the availability of working memory resources for explicit processing, participants completed a dual-task paradigm in which a cross-situational word-learning task was interleaved with a short-term memory task. We then used trial-by-trial analyses to estimate how different learning processes that play out simultaneously are impacted by resource availability. Critically, we found that the effect of hypothesis testing and gradual learning effects showed a small reduction under limited resources, and that the effect of memory load was not fully mediated by these processes. This suggests that neither is purely explicit, and there may be additional resource-dependent processes at play. Consistent with a hybrid account, these findings suggest that these two aspects of learning may reflect different aspects of a single system gated by attention, rather than competing learning systems.

Authors 2

1. Tanja C. Roembke corresponding Aachen Institute of Psychology

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Jaegerstrasse 17-19, Institute of Psychology, RWTH Aachen University, 62062, Aachen, Germany. tanja.roembke@psych.rwth-aachen.de

   Jaegerstrasse 17-19, Institute of Psychology, RWTH Aachen University, 62062, Aachen, Germany

2. Bob McMurray

   University of Iowa

   Affiliation as printed

   Departments of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Communication Sciences and Disorders, and Linguistics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA