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Updated: Aug 28, 2025
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An Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Ageing on Sentence Processing
Published on: October 25, 2019
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Cognitive and contextual factors modulating grammar learning at older ages
Marta Rivera1, Daniela Paolieri1, Antonio Iniesta1
1Department of Experimental Psychology, Mind, Brain, and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience
|September 19, 2022
Summary
Older and younger adults learn grammar equally well. Learning context and individual proactivity significantly impact second language acquisition, suggesting both external and internal factors are crucial for all ages.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Linguistics
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Second language (L2) grammar acquisition is typically more challenging for older adults than younger adults.
- Research on the specific factors influencing L2 grammar learning difficulties in older adults remains limited.
- Previous studies identified extrinsic (e.g., learning conditions) and intrinsic (e.g., executive control) factors affecting L2 grammar in younger learners.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether extrinsic and intrinsic factors similarly modulate L2 grammar learning in older adults.
- To compare the L2 grammar learning performance between younger and older adult populations.
- To examine the interplay of learning context, sentence complexity, and individual differences in proactivity on grammar acquisition.
Main Methods:
- A comparative study involving 162 Spanish native speakers (81 young, 81 older) learning a constructed language, Japañol.
- Participants were assigned to either an intentional (metalinguistic explanation) or incidental (sentence comprehension) learning context, with manipulated sentence complexity (subordinate clauses).
- Individual differences in proactivity were assessed using the AX-CPT task, followed by a Grammatical Judgment Task to evaluate learning outcomes.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in L2 grammar learning performance were observed between older and younger adults.
- The intentional learning condition yielded better results than the incidental learning condition overall.
- A significant interaction revealed that proactive individuals performed better in the incidental learning context, highlighting the role of intrinsic factors.
Conclusions:
- Extrinsic factors, such as the learning context, play a significant role in L2 grammar acquisition.
- Intrinsic factors, like proactivity, interact with learning conditions to influence grammar learning success.
- Both extrinsic and intrinsic factors appear to affect younger and older adults' L2 grammar learning capacity equally.
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