What is it about?
This study investigates how individuals who speak English as their first language (L1) and those who learned it as a second language (L2) process words with different emotional meanings. Using the "emotional Stroop task," participants were asked to name the color of a word's font as quickly as possible. Results showed that L2 speakers processed negative words differently from L1 speakers, indicating a unique way in which L2 speakers understand negative words. Additionally, the frequency of encountering a word in everyday language affects how quickly it can be processed by both L1 and L2 speakers, regardless of its emotional valence.
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Why is it important?
The results suggest that L2 learners may have a unique mechanism for processing negative words, which could affect their comprehension and production of these words. Language teachers may need to consider the emotional valence of words when teaching vocabulary to L2 learners and provide additional instruction and practice with negative words. Additionally, the study found that word frequency affects word processing in both L1 and L2 speakers, regardless of emotional valence. This highlights the importance of vocabulary acquisition and frequency in language learning. Language teachers may want to focus on high-frequency words to aid in faster and more efficient word processing for both L1 and L2 speakers.
Perspectives
I had the privilege of working with my talented student, Diana, and with Prof. Roberts to develop the main ideas for this research. Diana was particularly enthusiastic and disciplined, and even spent a semester at Purdue University to collect data and conduct preliminary analysis. Thanks to our collaborative efforts, Diana, Dr Roberts, and I were able to successfully compile and report the results of our study in this paper. It was a rewarding and fulfilling experience to work with such a dedicated and capable team.
Dr. Ricardo M Tamayo
Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The Influence of Emotions and Word Frequency in First and Second Language Processing: Evidence From the Emotional Stroop Task, PROFILE Issues in Teachers Professional Development, February 2023, Universidad Nacional de Colombia,
DOI: 10.15446/profile.v25n1.95379.
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