Expectancy-congruency learning mechanism updating lexical representations from context fit¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · 1 claim (1 for) · 1 study (1 review), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description¶

The chapter proposes that lexical organization is driven by an expectancy-congruency mechanism: the learner updates a word's lexical representation based on how well the current contents of memory match the information in the local environmental context. The abstract states this mechanism "updates lexical representations based on the fit between the current contents of memory and the information in the local environmental context," producing "a well-structured lexicon that is adapted to the demands of lexical retrieval and processing." It integrates the rational principle of likely need with mechanistic accounts in which information that is novel and surprising, rather than redundant with expectations, is encoded.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Specification of what constitutes a context unit, since the mechanism operates over the fit between memory contents and local context

Constraints¶

• The chapter notes the principle of likely need is agnostic about whether repeated similar encounters register as distinct contexts; this is an empirical question

Target Learners¶

• children learning words
• adult language learners

Target Learning Objectives¶

• lexical organization
• semantic learning
• word recognition

Claims¶

• Cd Facilitates Recall Impairs Recognition [+M]
• Contextual Diversity Beats Frequency Lexical Access [+M]

Related Theories¶

• Wickens' Context Alpha and Context Beta distinction
• Semantic diversity as a graded measure of contextual diversity based on document content overlap
• Principle of likely need versus principle of repetition as competing accounts of lexical learning
• Semantic Distinctiveness Model (SDM)

Examples¶

• Teach vocabulary by varying contexts rather than repeating words within the same context

Key Sources¶

• Jones, M. N., Dye, M., & Johns, B. T. (2017). Context as an Organizing Principle of the Lexicon. Psychology of Learning and Motivation, Volume 67. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.plm.2017.03.008