LIN 3042 Applied Linguistics · Linck et al. (2009) tasks
1 · Translation recognition
Main task · language comprehension about 3 minutes
AI disclaimer. Content guided by Tommie Juzek; built upon his prompting by an AI assistant (Claude Opus 5.5, Anthropic); reviewed and approved by Tommie Juzek.
Its role in the study
Main task: language comprehension. One of the two tasks that test the hypothesis. A Spanish word is followed by an English one, and learners decide whether it is the translation. The key question: do English words that look like the Spanish word (cara – CARD) still slow learners down? If immersion holds English back, immersed learners should be less bothered by them. They were (p. 1511).
How it works
First, one minute. Learn these Spanish words as well as you can. If you know Spanish already, you have a head start, just like the learners in the paper.
Then the task. A Spanish word appears, then an English word in CAPITALS. Is the English word its translation? As fast as you can:
- the translation: tap Yes (on a laptop, press J);
- not the translation: tap No (on a laptop, press F).
Six practice trials first, each with an explanation, then 24 for real (about a minute and a half).
The article: Linck, J. A., Kroll, J. F., & Sunderman, G. (2009). Losing access to the native language while immersed in a second language: Evidence for the role of inhibition in second-language learning. Psychological Science, 20(12), 1507–1515. Free version