TY - JOUR

T1 - Exploring the relations between word frequency, language exposure, and bilingualism in a computational model of reading

AU - Monaghan, Padraic John

AU - Chang, Ya-Ning

AU - Welbourne, Stephen

AU - Brysbaert, Marc

PY - 2017/4

Y1 - 2017/4

N2 - Individuals show differences in the extent to which psycholinguistic variables predict their responses for lexical processing tasks. A key variable accounting for much variance in lexical processing is frequency, but the size of the frequency effect has been demonstrated to reduce as a consequence of the individual’s vocabulary size. Using a connectionist computational implementation of the triangle model on a large set of English words, where orthographic, phonological, and semantic representations interact during processing, we show that the model demonstrates a reduced frequency effect as a consequence of amount of exposure to the language, a variable that was also a cause of greater vocabulary size in the model. The model was also trained to learn a second language, Dutch, and replicated behavioural observations that increased proficiency in a second language resulted in reduced frequency effects for that language but increased frequency effects in the first language. The model provides a first step to demonstrating causal relations between psycholinguistic variables in a model of individual differences in lexical processing, and the effect of bilingualism on interacting variables within the language processing system.

AB - Individuals show differences in the extent to which psycholinguistic variables predict their responses for lexical processing tasks. A key variable accounting for much variance in lexical processing is frequency, but the size of the frequency effect has been demonstrated to reduce as a consequence of the individual’s vocabulary size. Using a connectionist computational implementation of the triangle model on a large set of English words, where orthographic, phonological, and semantic representations interact during processing, we show that the model demonstrates a reduced frequency effect as a consequence of amount of exposure to the language, a variable that was also a cause of greater vocabulary size in the model. The model was also trained to learn a second language, Dutch, and replicated behavioural observations that increased proficiency in a second language resulted in reduced frequency effects for that language but increased frequency effects in the first language. The model provides a first step to demonstrating causal relations between psycholinguistic variables in a model of individual differences in lexical processing, and the effect of bilingualism on interacting variables within the language processing system.

KW - Reading

KW - Frequency effects

KW - Computational modelling

KW - Individual differences

KW - Bilingualism

KW - Lifespan development

U2 - 10.1016/j.jml.2016.08.003

DO - 10.1016/j.jml.2016.08.003

M3 - Journal article

VL - 93

SP - 1

EP - 21

JO - Journal of Memory and Language

JF - Journal of Memory and Language

SN - 0749-596X

ER -