Use of a mnemonic technique to teach young children foreign language vocabulary

doi:10.1016/0361-476X(81)90039-4

Contemporary Educational Psychology

Volume 6, Issue 2, April 1981, Pages 110-116

https://doi.org/10.1016/0361-476X(81)90039-4 Get rights and content

Abstract

Children 3 to 6 years of age learned simple Spanish vocabulary items using an adaptation of the keyword method of foreign language vocabulary learning. Using this version of the keyword method, the learner remembered a picture of the translation referent of the vocabulary item interacting with the referent of a concrete English word which sounded like part of the foreign word (the keyword). Children who used the keyword method remembered more vocabulary translations than children who were not instructed in keyword method usage.

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Numerous mnemonic techniques have been used and advocated throughout history. In this chapter, some of the most popular and enduring formal mnemonic and organizational mnemonic techniques are discussed in terms of their underlying processes. Specifically, the method of loci, the peg-word method, and the keyword method are discussed as formal mnemonic techniques. The use of acronyms, linking by story, and categorical and schematic organizations are discussed as organizational mnemonic techniques. As is described in the discussion, each of the mnemonic devices represents simple applications of well-researched psychological processes. Furthermore, examination of mnemonic techniques in light of basic research suggests that a specific combination of processes is necessary for the effectiveness of any given mnemonic.
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Numerous mnemonic techniques have been used and advocated throughout history. In this chapter, some of the most popular and enduring formal mnemonic and organizational mnemonic techniques are discussed in terms of their underlying processes. Specifically, the method of loci, the peg-word method, and the keyword method are discussed as formal mnemonic techniques. The use of acronyms, linking by story, and categorical and schematic organizations are discussed as organizational mnemonic techniques. As is described in the discussion, each of the mnemonic devices represents simple applications of well-researched psychological processes. Furthermore, examination of mnemonic techniques in light of basic research suggests that a specific combination of processes is necessary for the effectiveness of any given mnemonic.
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The keyword method compared to alternative vocabulary-learning strategies
1982, Contemporary Educational Psychology
Imagery and sentence versions of the keyword method of vocabulary learning were contrasted with three nonkeyword verbal-contextual alternatives. Subjects' definition learning in the imagery keyword condition was substantially higher than when subjects were presented the vocabulary in sentence contexts, when they generated sentence contexts for the words, when they made decisions about whether the words were used correctly in sentences, or when they were left to their own devices to learn the words. The learning benefits associated with the sentence keyword version were not as dramatic as in the imagery keyword condition. They were more evident when recall of any part of the definition was considered correct than when recall of the entire definition was necessary. These results indicate that the keyword method is a potent alternative to vocabulary-learning techniques that are regarded as effective by curriculum experts in reading.
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Use of a mnemonic technique to teach young children foreign language vocabulary

Abstract

Journal of Experimental Child Psychology

Journal of Experimental Child Psychology

Journal of Experimental Child Psychology

Journal of Experimental Child Psychology

Journal of Experimental Child Psychology

Mnemotechnics in second-language learning

American Psychologist

An application of the mnemonic keyword method to the acquisition of a Russian vocabulary

Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Learning and Memory