Effects of opportunities for word retrieval during second language vocabulary learning

Research suggests that memory for an item improves when one is allowed to retrieve the item (Slamecka & Graf, 1978). This study explored benefits of providing opportunities for target-word retrieval during second language vocabulary learning. English speakers studied new Spanish words while viewing 24 word-picture pairs. They first viewed all 24 pairs. They then viewed 12 pairs with a 6-s lag between each picture and its word so that they could attempt to retrieve the word in their mind. The other 12 pairs were presented without the lag. Posttests were administered immediately, 2 days later, and 1 week later. Results indicated higher scores in the retrieval-oriented condition. This positive effect was maintained across significant decreases in scores over time.