Gaskell, Gareth orcid.org/0000-0001-8325-1427 (2024) EPS mid-career prize:an integrated framework for the learning, recognition and interpretation of words. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. ISSN 1747-0226
Abstract
In this paper I review the evidence on the involvement of sleep and consolidation in word learning and processing during language comprehension, focusing on implications for theory. The theoretical basis for the review is a complementary systems account of word learning involving flexible (hippocampal) and stable (cortical) pathways to lexical knowledge (Davis & Gaskell, 2009). I argue that the accumulated data are consistent with a role for both pathways in both learning and recognition of lexical items, with sleep and consolidation supporting the transfer of recent experience between the pathways. The level of involvement of each pathway is dependent on key factors, such as consistency with prior knowledge in the case of learning, and reliance on context and/or automaticity in the case of recognition. As a consequence, the notion of a mental lexicon cannot really be restricted to just the listener’s stable knowledge about words: flexible knowledge and recent experiences are also important. Furthermore, I argue that the flexible pathway plays a critical role even in the absence of new lexical items. The available evidence suggests that this pathway encodes (and potentially consolidates) recent linguistic experiences, providing potential benefits to interpretation of subsequent language and the long-term retention of knowledge. In conclusion, I propose that a dual-pathway account incorporating both flexibility and stability is necessary to explain the learning, recognition and interpretation of words.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © Experimental Psychology Society 2024 |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Psychology (York) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RESEARCH COUNCIL (ESRC) ES/T008571/1 |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 28 Aug 2024 09:10 |
Last Modified: | 21 Jan 2025 18:14 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1177/17470218241284289 |
Status: | Published online |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1177/17470218241284289 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:216430 |
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