Abstract
This study explored whether Japanese EFL learners can utilize syntactically–driven algorithmic processing. For this purpose, the study attempted to inhibit other forms of processing (i. e., semantically–driven heuristic processing and processing with explicit knowledge) by using a self–paced reading task with priming of PP–attachment ambiguity. In the experiment, 20 highly proficient Japanese learners and 18 native speakers of English engaged in a phrase–by–phrase self–paced reading task after reading prime sentences. Although the results of non–native speakers (NNSs) showed a similar tendency to the NSs, there were slight differences between NSs and NNSs in terms of the size of the priming effects. This indicated that highly proficient Japanese EFL learners can utilize syntactically–driven algorithmic processing, but the process may be relatively “fragile” compared to that of NSs.
Acknowledgements
Earlier versions of this paper were presented at the 14th annual conference of the Japan Second Language Association (J-SLA 2014) and the 19th International Conference of Pan-Pacific Association of Applied Linguistics (PAAL 2014). We would like to express our gratitude to Dr. Shigenori Wakabayashi and Dr. Remi Murao for their insightful comments. Any errors that may remain are, of course, our own.
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Appendices. Priming and target stimuli used in the current experiment
Appendix 1: Priming sentences constructed with reference to Kim et al. (2014) for L2 participants
| The mouse dug the hole in the garden next to the bush. |
| The teacher preferred the tea in the small can with some sugar. |
| The officer examined the books on the Cold War from the library. |
| The student changed a sentence of the report with a pen. |
| The museum obtained the picture by the famous artist with the signature. |
| The tourists admired the painting of the valley on the wall. |
| The man watered the tree with the bird’s nest with large roots. |
| The woman avoided the spider in the forest with the poison. |
| The cat filled the hole in the wall with the window. |
| The clerk made the coffee from the beans from the shelf. |
| The students read the book on the revolution in the 18th century. |
| The mayor accepted the money for the project on the new building. |
| The expert contributed the fossil to the museum with the clean floor. |
| The boy visited the house in the street with traffic lights. |
| The dogs watched the bird on the tree branch with yellow leaves. |
| The girl ate some chips before the party at her friend’s house. |
Appendix 2: Target stimuli and two–choice questions
| Target stimuli and regions | Two–choice questions | Alternatives | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The designer /loved the bed /by the couch /with white fur | What had white fur? | the bed | the couch |
| The officer /noticed the mirror /on the wall /with a crack | What had a crack? | the mirror | the wall |
| The staff /forgot the chair /under the table /with three legs | What had three legs? | the chair | the table |
| The guests /admired the picture /of the women /in the restaurant | What was in the restaurant? | the picture | the woman |
| The waiter /served the tea /in small cups /from China | What was made in China? | the tea | the small cup |
| The assistant /found the battery /for the computer /in the box | What was in the box? | the battery | the computer |
| The parents /watched the video /of their daughters /in the room | Which was in the room? | the video | their daughter |
| The professor /saw the news /about teaching /on the web | What was taken place on the web? | the news | teaching |
| The man /moved the chairs /in the room /near the poster | What was near the poster? | the chair | the room |
| The woman /bought a novel /about a dog /in the city | What was in the city? | a novel | a dog |
| The musician /liked the girl /with many friends /at school | Who is at the school? | the girl | her friends |
| The secretary /left the file /about the employee /with the information | What had the information? | the file | the employee |
| The man /repaired the windows /by the doors /with the mark | What had the mark? | the windows | the doors |
| The boy /missed the meeting /about the negotiations /in the department | What was carried out in the department? | meeting | negotiation |
| The girl /visited the house /in the street /near the hospital. | What was near the hospital? | the house | the street |
| The woman /watched the bird /on the elephant /with an injury. | Which animal had an injury? | the bird | the elephant |
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