title: High second-language proficiency protects against the effects of reverberation on listening comprehension.
abstract: The purpose of this experiment was to investigate whether classroom reverberation influences second-language (L2) listening comprehension. Moreover, we investigated whether individual differences in baseline L2 proficiency and in working memory capacity (WMC) modulate the effect of reverberation time on L2 listening comprehension. The results showed that L2 listening comprehension decreased as reverberation time increased. Participants with higher baseline L2 proficiency were less susceptible to this effect. WMC was also related to the effect of reverberation (although just barely significant), but the effect of WMC was eliminated when baseline L2 proficiency was statistically controlled. Taken together, the results suggest that top-down cognitive capabilities support listening in adverse conditions. Potential implications for the Swedish national tests in English are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Building, Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Gävle, Gävle, Sweden; Linnaeus Centre HEAD, Swedish Institute for Disability Research, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Patrik
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sörqvist
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hurtig
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ljung
authors.forename: Jerker
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rönnberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001076:Aptitude / Q000502:physiology*; D032882:Comprehension / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D019303:Multilingualism; D013067:Speech Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Reverberation; comprehension; second language; speech perception; working memory capacity