The Role of Individual Differences in the Study Abroad Context: Cognitive Capacity and Language Development During Short-Term Intensive Language Exposure

2015 ◽  
Vol 99 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Grey ◽  
Jessica G. Cox ◽  
Ellen J. Serafini ◽  
Cristina Sanz
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Language Development ◽  
Study Abroad ◽  
Cognitive Capacity ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Language Exposure

scholarly journals Preparedness for Study Abroad: Comparing the Linguistic Outcomes of a Short-Term Spanish Program by Third, Fourth and Sixth Semester L2 Learners

2009 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 157-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucile Duperron ◽  
Mark H. Overstreet
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Study Abroad ◽  
Threshold Level ◽  
Optimal Timing ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Second Language Development ◽  
Studying Abroad ◽  
Short Term Study ◽  
The Individual

The present study examines second language development in a short-term program based on the number of courses that learners have completed prior to their abroad experience. However, it does not presume that longer seat time before studying abroad equals proportionately higher linguistic returns. Rather, it aims to describe what kind of language development occurs in the short-term study abroad environment based on learners’ previous language experience. This descriptive approach allows us to take into account the individual variation that characterizes study abroad learning outcomes (Segalowitz et al., 2004). It also brings a level of detail that is useful in investigating optimal timing conditions toward the study abroad experience, that is, a threshold level at which learners are primed to benefit most from study abroad (Segalowitz & Freed, 2004). 

scholarly journals Parasympathetic and Sympathetic Activity Are Associated with Individual Differences in Neural Indices of Selective Attention in Adults

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan J. Giuliano ◽  
Christina M. Karns ◽  
Theodore A. Bell ◽  
Seth Petersen ◽  
Elizabeth A. Skowron ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Selective Attention ◽  
Sympathetic Activity ◽  
Mean Amplitude ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Cognitive Capacity ◽  
Parasympathetic Activity ◽  
Cognitive Tasks ◽  
Autonomic Physiology

AbstractMultiple theoretical frameworks posit that interactions between the autonomic nervous system and higher-order neural networks are crucial for cognitive regulation. However, few studies have directly examined the relationship between measures of autonomic physiology and brain activity during cognitive tasks, and fewer studies have examined both the parasympathetic and sympathetic autonomic branches when doing so. Here, 93 adults completed an event-related potential (ERP) auditory selective attention task concurrently with measures of parasympathetic activity (high-frequency heart rate variability; HF-HRV) and sympathetic activity (pre-ejection period; PEP). We replicate previous findings showing effects of selective attention on mean amplitude of the N1 ERP component (Hillyard et al., 1973; Coch et al., 2005), and extend this result to show that the effects of selective attention were associated with baseline values of HF-HRV and PEP. Individuals with higher resting HF-HRV and shorter resting PEP showed larger effects of selective attention on their ERPs. Follow-up regression models demonstrated that HF-HRV and PEP accounted for unique variance in selective attention effects on N1 mean amplitude. These results are consistent with the neurovisceral integration model, which posits that greater parasympathetic activity is a marker of increased cognitive capacity, as well as other theoretical models which emphasize the role of heightened sympathetic activity in more efficient attention-related processing. The present findings highlight the importance of autonomic physiology in the study of individual differences in neurocognitive function, and given the foundational role of selective attention across cognitive domains, suggest that both parasympathetic and sympathetic activity may be key to understanding variability in brain function across a variety of cognitive tasks.

scholarly journals The Role of Mental Health issues in Faculty-Led Short-Term Study Abroad

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-156
Author(s):  
Kaleb L. Briscoe ◽  
Elizabeth Niehaus ◽  
Matthew Nelson ◽  
Angela Bryan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Study Abroad ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Term Study ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
Short Term Study

Erasmus students in an Irish studyabroad context

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-118
Author(s):  
Annarita Magliacane
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Study Abroad ◽  
Speech Acts ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Pragmatic Markers ◽  
L2 Pragmatics ◽  
Language Exposure ◽  
Erasmus Programme

Abstract While second language (L2) pragmatics research has predominantly investigated speech acts, little attention has been given to pragmatic markers (PMs) (Müller, 2005). Research demonstrates that PM use by learners is limited (Liao, 2009) and that their production is aided by native speaker (NS) contact (Sankoff et al., 1997). Thus, if study abroad (SA) provides a combination of instructed and naturalistic input / exposure, the analysis of PM development gives insights into the role of language exposure during SA. Against this background, this article investigates the use of PMs in L2 English during an Erasmus programme in Ireland. Data were collected using sociolinguistic interviews (Labov, 1984) and the PMs studied were ‘like’ and ‘well’. These PMs were tracked longitudinally to investigate differences in frequency and use. Findings were analysed quantitatively and compared with English NSs. Results point to an increase in frequency but also reveal constraints on the use of the PMs studied.

scholarly journals Simultaneous bilingual language acquisition: The role of parental input on receptive vocabulary development

2012 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea AN MacLeod ◽  
Leah Fabiano-Smith ◽  
Sarah Boegner-Pagé ◽  
Salomé Fontolliet
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Vocabulary Development ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Growing Up ◽  
Bilingual Language Development ◽  
Parental Input ◽  
Language Exposure ◽  
The One

Parents often turn to educators and healthcare professionals for advice on how to best support their child’s language development. These professionals frequently suggest implementing the ‘one-parent–one-language’ approach to ensure consistent exposure to both languages. The goal of this study was to understand how language exposure influences the receptive vocabulary development of simultaneous bilingual children. To this end, we targeted nine German–French children growing up in bilingual families. Their exposure to each language within and outside the home was measured, as were their receptive vocabulary abilities in German and French. The results indicate that children are receiving imbalanced exposure to each language. This imbalance is leading to a slowed development of the receptive vocabulary in the minority language, while the majority language is keeping pace with monolingual peers. The one-parent–one-language approach does not appear to support the development of both of the child’s languages in the context described in the present study. Bilingual families may need to consider other options for supporting the bilingual language development of their children. As professionals, we need to provide parents with advice that is based on available data and that is flexible with regards to the current and future needs of the child and his family.

Language exposure and phonological short-term memory as predictors of majority language vocabulary and phonological awareness in dual language learning

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Enni Vaahtoranta ◽  
Sebastian Suggate ◽  
Jan Lenhart ◽  
Wolfgang Lenhard
Keyword(s):  
Phonological Awareness ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Dual Language ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
External Factors ◽  
Expressive Vocabulary ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Language Exposure ◽  
Language Universal

Abstract Previous work suggests that child-internal and -external factors influence dual language learning (DLL), although more work is needed – to clarify the role of phonological short-term memory (PSTM) and language exposure in particular. Accordingly, we investigated the role of language exposure and PSTM in phonological awareness and receptive and expressive vocabulary development in the majority language in DLL. PSTM was measured with both a language-specific and language-universal nonword repetition task (NWR). Sixty-five DLL preschoolers were assessed twice, five months apart. Results show that maternal majority-language proficiency as well as language-specific and universal NWR predicted all outcomes, whereas length of exposure to the majority language only predicted receptive and expressive vocabulary. Current exposure did not predict any outcome. The findings extend previous research on child-internal and child-external factors as predictors of DLL to phonological awareness and language-universal NWR.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document