Production benefits on encoding are modulated by language experience: Less experience may help.

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Linguistics

Background:

• Movement during learning enhances information retention compared to passive perception.
• The production effect, where spoken words are better remembered than read words, is a key example of movement-enhanced encoding.
• Sensorimotor prediction is a proposed mechanism, but the influence of prior experience on this effect is unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how prior language experience modifies the production effect.
• To determine if the production effect persists or diminishes in a second language (L2) compared to a first language (L1).

Main Methods:

• Two groups of bilinguals (German-English and English-German) participated.
• Participants learned lists of words in their L1 and L2 by either silent reading or reading aloud.
• Recognition tests were administered to assess memory recall.

Main Results:

• A significant production effect was observed for both L1 and L2 words in all participants.
• The production effect was unexpectedly larger for second languages compared to first languages across both bilingual groups.

Conclusions:

• The production effect is robust and present in both L1 and L2 learning.
• Increased phonological encoding, effort, or attention during L2 oral reading may explain the enhanced production effect in second languages.