| Title: |
Learning Novel Words in an Immersive Virtual-Reality Context: Tracking Lexicalization through Behavioral and Event-Related-Potential Measures |
| Language: |
English |
| Authors: |
Lu Jiao; Yue Lin; John W. Schwieter (ORCID 0000-0003-1798-3915); Cong Liu (ORCID 0000-0001-8459-2637) |
| Source: |
Language Learning. 2026 76(1):5-27. |
| Availability: |
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us |
| Peer Reviewed: |
Y |
| Page Count: |
23 |
| Publication Date: |
2026 |
| Document Type: |
Journal Articles; Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: |
Computer Simulation; Computer Uses in Education; Second Language Learning; German; Semantics; Priming; Vocabulary Development; Learning Processes |
| DOI: |
10.1111/lang.12707 |
| ISSN: |
0023-8333; 1467-9922 |
| Abstract: |
The present study used immersive virtual-reality (iVR) technology to simulate a real-life environment and examined its impact on novel-word learning and lexicalization. On Days 1-3, Chinese-speaking participants learned German words in iVR and traditional picture-word (PW) association contexts. A semantic-priming task was used to measure word lexicalization on Day 4, and again 6 months later. The behavioral findings of an immediate posttest showed a larger semantic-priming effect on iVR-learned words compared to PW-learned words. Moreover, electrophysiological results of the immediate posttest demonstrated significant semantic-priming effects only for iVR-learned words, such that related prime-target pairs elicited enhanced N400 amplitude compared to unrelated prime-target pairs. However, after 6 months, there were no differences between the iVR and PW conditions. The findings support the embodied-cognition theory and dual-coding theory and suggest that a virtual real-life learning context with multimodal enrichment facilitates novel-word learning and lexicalization but that these effects seem to disappear over time. |
| Abstractor: |
As Provided |
| Entry Date: |
2026 |
| Accession Number: |
EJ1496543 |
| Database: |
ERIC |