Since Gisela Granena’s influential work, LLAMA D v2, a sound recognition subtest of LLAMA aptitude tests, has been used as a measure of implicit learning aptitude in second language acquisition research. The validity of this test, however, is little known and the results of studies with this instrument have been somewhat inconsistent. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that researchers’ variable test instructions are the source of the inconsistent results. One hundred fourteen English monolinguals were randomly assigned to take LLAMA D v2 under one of three test instruction conditions. They also completed two implicit aptitude tests, three explicit aptitude tests, and a sound discrimination test. The results showed that, regardless of the type of test instructions, LLAMA D scores did not align with implicit aptitude test scores, indicating no clear evidence of the test being implicit. On the contrary, LLAMA D scores were negatively associated with scores on one implicit aptitude test, the Serial Reaction Time (SRT) task, but only in the condition where the instructions drew participants’ focal attention to the stimuli. This negative association was interpreted as focal attention working against learning in the SRT task. Implicit learning aptitude may be the degree to which one is able to process input without focal attention.

自从 Gisela Granena 的颇具影响力的工作以来，LLAMA D v2（LLAMA 能力倾向测试的声音识别子测试）已被用作第二语言习得研究中内隐学习能力的衡量标准。然而，该测试的有效性鲜为人知，并且使用该仪器的研究结果有些不一致。在这项研究中，我们检验了这样一个假设：研究人员的可变测试指令是不一致结果的根源。一百一十四名只会说英语的人被随机分配在三种测试指导条件之一下参加 LLAMA D v2。他们还完成了两项隐性能力倾向测试、三项显性能力倾向测试和一项声音辨别测试。结果表明，无论测试指令的类型如何，LLAMA D 分数与内隐能力倾向测试分数不一致，表明没有明确的证据表明该测试是内隐的。相反，LLAMA D 分数与一项隐性能力倾向测试（串行反应时间（SRT）任务）的分数呈负相关，但仅限于指令吸引参与者集中注意力于刺激的情况下。这种负相关被解释为 SRT 任务中的集中注意力不利于学习。内隐学习能力可能是一个人能够在不集中注意力的情况下处理输入的程度。