TY - JOUR

T1 - The role of memory and instruction in the acquisition of vocabulary and grammar

T2 - An aptitude–treatment interaction study

AU - Ruiz, Simón

AU - Monaghan, Padraic

AU - Zhang, Wensi

AU - Li, Jiayi

AU - Jiang, Chaofan

AU - Yang, Siqi

AU - Rebuschat, Patrick

PY - 2025/6/13

Y1 - 2025/6/13

N2 - Individual differences in cognitive abilities and explicit instruction can affect language learning. Understanding how individual differences and instruction interact, however, requires us to determine the points in the language learning process that are open to influence. One hundred and eleven adults were exposed to an artificial language comprising transitive sentences occurring with action scenes and were either instructed or not in the language structure. Learning proceeded by determining the cross-situational correspondences between words and scene features. We found that declarative memory ability related strongly and positively but procedural memory related weakly and negatively to overall immediate learning. Rule-search instruction also positively influenced short-term learning, but not of the structure that was explicitly highlighted, and this was most pronounced in those with high declarative memory. The results highlight which features of language learning are accessible to information about language structure, and how that is affected by the learners’ cognitive abilities, with practical implications for personalised design of language learning programmes.

AB - Individual differences in cognitive abilities and explicit instruction can affect language learning. Understanding how individual differences and instruction interact, however, requires us to determine the points in the language learning process that are open to influence. One hundred and eleven adults were exposed to an artificial language comprising transitive sentences occurring with action scenes and were either instructed or not in the language structure. Learning proceeded by determining the cross-situational correspondences between words and scene features. We found that declarative memory ability related strongly and positively but procedural memory related weakly and negatively to overall immediate learning. Rule-search instruction also positively influenced short-term learning, but not of the structure that was explicitly highlighted, and this was most pronounced in those with high declarative memory. The results highlight which features of language learning are accessible to information about language structure, and how that is affected by the learners’ cognitive abilities, with practical implications for personalised design of language learning programmes.

U2 - 10.1016/j.jml.2025.104660

DO - 10.1016/j.jml.2025.104660

M3 - Journal article

VL - 144

JO - Journal of Memory and Language

JF - Journal of Memory and Language

SN - 0749-596X

M1 - 104660

ER -