Second Language Speech Processing: A Guide to Conducting Experimental Research

✍ Scribed by Isabelle Darcy

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2024
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 301
• Series: Second Language Acquisition Research Series
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This book is the first hands-on roadmap for conducting rigorous experimental research on second language speech processing and spoken word recognition.

Isabelle Darcy expertly defines key concepts and offers a detailed step-by-step guide to designing empirical psycholinguistic research in this complex, interdisciplinary area. The book covers the following: setting up an efficient workflow to enhance reproducibility of findings; determining a methodology; selecting experimental controls and designing stimuli; collecting data using an array of methodological tools; addressing common challenges; preparing and analyzing data; preregistering the study; and sharing data transparently in accordance with Open Science practices. Darcy provides everything needed to design and carry out robust behavioral studies on L2 speech processing, in a laboratory or online.

This book will be an invaluable practical resource for researchers and advanced students in second language speech learning, second language acquisition, psycholinguistics, cognitive science, and language teaching, as well as those interested in applied linguistics, pronunciation, and related subjects.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover
Half Title
Series Information
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Part 1 Research Synthesis
1 Experimental Approaches to Second Language Speech Processing: A Psycholinguistic Perspective
What Is this Book About?
A Psycholinguistic Perspective
Conceptual Foundations: Language in the Mind
Using Language Knowledge During Processing
Acquiring Language Knowledge
Why Do We Need this Book?
How Is this Book Structured?
Summary
Note
References
2 Phonological Knowledge in L1 and L2
The Organization of Phonology in the Mind
The Phonological Grammar
Segmentals: Categories for Speech Sounds
Syllable Structure and Phonotactics
Suprasegmentals and Prosody
Between-word Processes, Reduced Speech, Connected Speech
Other Factors Impacting L2 Phonological Development
Summary
Notes
References
3 Phonology in the L2 Mental Lexicon
The Mental Lexicon and Representations for Words
What We Know About Words
How We Recognize Spoken Words
Phonolexical Representations for L2 Words
Imprecise Representations for L2 Words
The Evolution of Phonolexical Representations Over Time
Factors Impacting the Precision of Representations
Methodological Considerations
Summary
Notes
References
Part 2 Practical Foundations
4 Good Scientific Workflow and Open Science Practices
Good Scientific Practices and the Responsible Conduct of Research
Cumulative Research: How to Be Part of the Conversation
Setting Up a Good Workflow
Planning
Organization and File Management
Directory Structure
File Naming
Documentation and the Research Notebook
What Should Be Recorded in a Research Notebook?
How to Use this Laboratory Notebook
Preserving Files, Data Storage, and Backup
How to Back Up Files Simply
Where to Store the Backed-Up Files
The Open Science Movement
Summary
Suggested Activities
Notes
References
5 Experimental Foundations
Experimental and Non-Experimental Research
Fundamentals of Measurement
The Eight Components of an Experimental Methodology
Step 1: Research Questions
Step 2: Hypotheses
Step 3: Rationale
Step 4: Task Design
Operationalizing Variables
Choosing a Paradigm
Outlining Materials
Defining the Measure
Step 5: Sampling and Participants
Step 6: Procedure and Experimental Protocol
Step 7: Predictions and Analysis
Connecting the Analysis to the Predictions
Types of Data and Variables
Step 8: Interpretation
Laying Out Your Methodology
Summary
Suggested Activities
Notes
References
6 Key Behavioral Paradigms: The Researcher’s Toolbox
Experimental Behavioral Paradigms: Generalities
Discrimination and Categorization Paradigms
Categories and Speech Perception Paradigms: A Brief Historical Background
The Role of Categories in L2 Phonological Processing
Task Properties and Processing Levels
Task Difficulty and Stimulus Uncertainty
Availability of Information
Paradigms
AX, Same-Different
Four-interval AX (4IAX)
ABX/AXB/XAB
Oddity
Oddball
Sequence Recall
Similarity Ratings
Paradigms
Free Classification
Similarity Judgment
Identification and Labeling
Paradigms
Identification
Cross-language Mapping/perceptual Assimilation
In Focus: Cross-Language Mapping
Phoneme Monitoring and Word Spotting
Paradigms
Phoneme Monitoring
Word Spotting
Lexical Paradigms
Paradigms
Auditory Lexical Decision
Forced-choice Lexical Decision (Variant of Lexical Decision)
Word-picture Matching (Variant of Lexical Decision)
Gating
In Focus: Speeded Auditory Lexical Decision
Priming
Other Commonly Used Paradigms
Paradigms
Training Studies
Rating and Transcription
Production
General Language Proficiency and Background Factors
Summary
Suggested Activities
Notes
References
Part 3 Implementation
7 Experimental Design
Elements of Experimental Design
Structure of the Task
From the Raw Data to the Dependent Variable
Independent Variables: Experimental Conditions
Trial Structure
Number of Trials and Task Length
How Many Trials Are Needed?
How to Estimate Task Length?
Materials
Stimuli: Designing and Creating
How Many Stimuli and Items Are Needed?
What Kind of Stimuli Do I Need for My Task?
Advice for Choosing Real Words
Advice for Making Non-Words
Stimuli: Recording
General Procedure
Presenting the Materials
Interacting With the Speaker
Technical Settings for Sound Files
Stimuli Preparation and Other Considerations
Naming Your Files
Segmenting Your Files
Normalizing the Amplitude
Who Will You Test?
What Are Your Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria for Participants and Data Points?
How Many Participants Will You Test?
How Will the Participants Interact With the Task?
Participants
Procedure
Multiple Tasks: The Whole Experiment
Piloting and Debugging
Summary
Suggested Activities
Notes
References
8 Experimental Controls
Experimental Controls: Why and How?
Controls at the Design Stage: Control Variables
Control Groups
Control Conditions
Controls at the Design Stage: Controls Against Confounds
Controls for Stimuli and Items
Item Controls
Acoustic Analyses, Stimuli Preparation, and Manipulations
Randomization and Blinding
Counterbalancing
Counterbalancing Trials: Examples
Blocking
Incomplete Counterbalancing and Latin Square Designs
Avoiding Response Strategies
Participants’ Background and Individual Differences
Background Questionnaires
Audiometry
Other Aspects of L2 Knowledge
Data Safety and Management
Summary
Suggested Activities
Notes
References
9 Connecting the Method to the Research Question
Establishing Predictions and Outlining an Analysis Plan
Visualization of a Single Task
Multiple Tasks and Task Types
Going Back to the Drawing Board Is Possible
Statistical Design: How to Talk to Your Stats Expert
Communicating Your Method to Others
Preregistering Your Study
What Is Preregistration?
What Is an Embargo?
Preregistered Reports
Preregistering and Open Science Practices
Summary
Suggested Activities
Notes
References
10 Collecting Data
Collecting Data in the Lab
The Experimental Protocol
The Testing Log
Discard Or Keep? What to Do With Atypical Datasets
No Lab? No Problem. Challenges and Opportunities of Remote Data Collection
Online Platforms for Psycholinguistic Experiments
Design Considerations
Consideration #1: Participants
Consideration #2: Equipment
Consideration #3: Conditions
Consideration #4: Keeping Participants Motivated
Consideration #5: Collecting Production Data Or Handwritten Responses
Similarities to In-Person Testing
Recommendations for Various Types of Studies
Collecting Data in the Field: The Mobile Lab
Summary
Suggested Activities
Notes
References
11 Preparing Data for Analysis
Data Wrangling: Introduction
What Is It and What Is It Good For?
When to Do It
How to Document It
File and Variable Naming Guidelines
Tidying and Automating Data Preparation
Standard Wrangling Procedure
Step 1: Gather and Organize the Data Files
Step 2: Creating the Working Files
Step 3: Explore the Data
Step 4: Format the Data for Analysis and Identify Excluded Data
Step 5: Identify Outliers
Step 6: The Dataset Can Now Be Analyzed Using Descriptive and Inferential Statistics
Summary
Suggested Activities
Notes
References
12 Preserving, Protecting, and Archiving Data
Data Management and the Importance of Preserving Data
Keeping Data Safe Daily
Data Backups
Corrupted Files
Keeping Data Safe Long-Term: Documenting, Preserving, and Archiving Your Data
Metadata: Documenting Contents, Organization, and Location
Ensuring Access: Downloading Data Stored Online
Preserving Readability
Embracing Paper
Compiling an Archive Once a Study Is Done
Keeping Data Safe From Disclosure: Protecting Sensitive Data
What Information Is Protected?
Steps to Protect Files That Contain PII Information
Responsibly Sharing Data With Collaborators and Advisors
Collaborative Research Organization and Data Management Plans
Data Management Plans
Resources
Summary
Suggested Activities
Notes
References
13 Conclusions and Future Directions
References
Index