Unpacking language learning success: Cognitive, experiential, and neural trajectories in adult acquisition

Descrizione del progetto

Affinare le teorie sull’acquisizione del linguaggio negli adulti

Le ricerche sull’acquisizione di una seconda lingua o di una lingua aggiuntiva da parte degli adulti mettono spesso in evidenza l’impatto dell’input e dell’insegnamento, il che non spiega del tutto perché alcuni studenti adulti ottengano risultati migliori di altri quando apprendono in condizioni simili; tali modelli linguistici non riescono a mettere in adeguata connessione i fattori ambientali, quali la variabilità degli input e le opportunità di utilizzo, con le caratteristiche interne dello studente, tra cui le capacità cognitive e percettive e le esperienze pregresse. Sostenuto dal programma di azioni Marie Skłodowska-Curie, il progetto VISTA colmerà questa lacuna nella ricerca mediante l’analisi delle modalità con cui gli adulti apprendono il portoghese, concentrandosi sull’interazione tra i sistemi fonetici (fonologia), il lessico e la struttura delle frasi (morfosintassi). L’approccio olistico adottato dal progetto contribuirà allo sviluppo delle teorie sull’apprendimento implicito delle lingue, fornendo al contempo indicazioni supportate da ricerche scientifiche a sostegno dell’innovazione digitale, dell’apprendimento permanente e dell’istruzione inclusiva.

Obiettivo

Languages are fundamental to education, culture, and social inclusion, yet a central puzzle remains: why do some adults acquire new languages more successfully than others, even when they learn under similar conditions? Decades of research in second and additional language (Ln) acquisition have illuminated how input and instruction affect learning, but they have not resolved this foundational question. Current accounts struggle to explain the complex interplay between external factors (e.g. variability and ambiguity in the input, opportunities for use) and learner-internal characteristics such as cognitive and perceptual abilities or prior language experience. These challenges are especially pronounced in immersion and other naturalistic settings, where explicit guidance is limited and learners must detect regularities, extract meaning from ambiguity, and build new representations under conditions of uncertainty.
VISTA (Variables in Immersive Statistical language learning: Trajectories and Aptitudes) addresses this gap by investigating how adults acquire linguistic patterns in a novel natural language (Portuguese) across three interdependent domains: phonology, lexis, and morphosyntax. This multidimensional design enhances ecological validity and responds to calls for more realistic approaches in statistical learning research. VISTA also develops a novel individual-differences framework, modelling how cognitive abilities, perceptual skills, and prior multilingual experience jointly shape learning trajectories.
By integrating behavioural and neuroscientific measures, VISTA will capture how adults learn new linguistic patterns in real time and across multiple domains. This comprehensive approach will advance theories of implicit language learning and generate evidence-based recommendations to support inclusive education, lifelong learning, and digital innovation – contributing directly to European Union priorities on multilingualism and social cohesion.