Does Orthography Mitigate the Impact of Background Noise on Word Learning?

Word learning usually takes place when there is background noise in the environment and these noise levels can hamper word learning. There is substantial evidence to suggest that orthography promotes word learning. This study tests the hypothesis that orthography could mitigate the impact of noise on word learning by reducing the cognitive load and providing stable scaffolding for phonology. Word learning occurred in a self-directed online learning paradigm which reflects the increasingly common learning context for university students. Participants were 125 native English-speaking university students (mean age = 28.21, SD = 4.41; 65 female). They were taught 16 novel words online across three training blocks that included repetition and picture naming. Orthography was manipulated between participants (present vs. absent), and background noise was manipulated within participants (quiet vs. noise). Learning was assessed through picture naming and spelling tasks before and after training. Noise impacted learning of word meanings, but not word forms (phonology and spelling) while orthography facilitated the learning of word forms but not word meanings. Further, there was greater orthographic facilitation for word phonology retrieval for words learned in noise suggesting that orthography may reduce the negative effects of noise on some aspects of word learning. This study demonstrated orthographic facilitation of word learning in a self-directed online learning paradigm with implications for naturalistic learning. Further, it suggested the need for further examination of orthography as a tool to reduce the negative impact of noise on word learning.