BOOK OF ABSTRACTS - EUROSLA

Can speed and automatization of lexical access be used as measures of
proficiency?
Raquel Serrano
Universitat de Barcelona
Lexical decision tasks have often been used to examine second language
learners’ speed (reaction time, RT) and automatization (coefficient of
variation, CV) of lexical access in a second language (L2). Additionally,
lexical access has been considered a measure of proficiency (Segalowitz &
Frenkiel-Fishman, 2005) as well as an indicator of fluency (Segalowitz &
Freed, 2004). Segalowitz and his colleagues suggest that participants’ RT
and CV should be computed for their L2 but also for their L1 (first language)
in order to determine a “specific L2 index”, which controls for individual
differences in lexical access. The purpose of the present study is to examine
L2 and L2-specific indexes and analyze how they correlate with other
measures of proficiency (standardized placement test, vocabulary test, and
oral fluency). Another goal of this study is to examine the effect of L1
cognates in L2 lexical access, which is especially relevant since the bilingual
cognition literature has shown that cognates are accessed faster than noncognates
(Dijkstra et al., 2010).
A total of 237 Spanish/Catalan bilinguals performed an animacy
judgment task (based on the task used by Segalowitz & Freed, 2004), which
included 200 words that the learners had to classify as ‘living’ or ‘non
living’. Half of these words were in English (L2) and half in the participants’
dominant language. The list of English words included 28 words that were
cognates in Catalan and 24 in Spanish. A subgroup of these participants
performed the other proficiency tests.
The results of the analyses indicate that L2 and L2-specific RT and CV
correlate with some measures of proficiency. Moreover, while cognates were
accessed significantly faster than non-cognates, the mean RT and CV
correlated equally with other proficiency measures in both cases. In
conclusion, it can be claimed that the lexical access of cognates and noncognates
is equally informative concerning L2 proficiency.
Dijkstra, T., Miwa, K., Brummelhuis, B., Sappelli, M., & Baayen, H. (2010). How
cross-language similarity and task demands affect cognate recognition. Journal
of Memory and Language, 62, 284-301.
Segalowitz, N., & Freed, B. F. (2004). Context, contact, and cognition in oral
fluency acquisition: Learning Spanish in At Home and Study Abroad contexts.
Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 26, 173-199.
Segalowitz, N., & Frenkiel-Fishman, S. (2005). Attention control and ability level in
a complex cognitive skill: Attention shifting and second-language proficiency.
Memory & Cognition, 33, 644-653.
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