Does Phonetic Training Benefit Word Learning?

Recent research has shown that adult learners can rapidly acquire novel words of a foreign language by tracking cross-situational statistics, but learning is substantially reduced when the target words are phonologically similar and contain non-native contrasts. We expand on this research by investigating if perceptual discrimination training on non-native target contrasts facilitates cross-situational learning of new words. In two studies, we trained English-native and Portuguese-native speakers on 24 Portuguese pseudowords via a cross-situational word learning task (CSWL). Before the CSWL task, English-native speakers received either training (on the target Portuguese contrasts) with an AX discrimination task, training with an oddity discrimination task, or no phonetic training. Results confirmed that adults can learn non-native words from cross-situational statistics, and that phonological overlap between words decreases learning. Perceptual training improved the discrimination of target contrasts, but this did not transfer to the learning of words that contain these contrasts.