Word learning in the field: Adapting a laboratory-based task for testing in remote Papua New Guinea

Abstract

Adapting laboratory psycholinguistic methods to fieldwork contexts can be fraught with difficulties. However, successful implementation of such methods in the field enhances our ability to learn the true extent and limitations of human behavior. This paper reports two attempts to run word learning experiments with the small community of Nungon speakers in Towet village in the Saruwaged Mountains, Papua New Guinea. A first attempt involved running a cross-situational task in which word-object pairings were presented ambiguously in each trial, and an explicit word learning task in which pairings were presented explicitly, or unambiguously, in each trial. While this quickly garnered a respectable 34 participants over the course of a week, it yielded null results, with many participants appearing to show simple patterned responses at test. We interpreted the null result as possibly reflecting the unfamiliarity of both the task and the laptop-based presentation mode. In Experiment 2, we made several adjustments to the explicit word learning task in an attempt to provide clearer instructions, reduce cognitive load, and frame the study within a real-world context. During a second 11-day stay in the village, 34 participants completed this modified task and demonstrated clear evidence of word learning. With this success serving as a future guide for researchers, our experiences show that it may require multiple attempts, even by experienced fieldworkers familiar with the target community, to successfully adapt experiments to a field setting.

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“…First, participants may have a lack of familiarity with the notion of someone presenting stimuli multiple times and asking for a response or an opinion. This was encountered previously by Mulak et al, [46], who conducted a word learning study in the same area, and interpreted their null result as possibly reflecting a lack of familiarity with the task. Important to note is that Mulak et al, [46] concluded this based on a predominance of patterned responses, a type of response we already excluded from consideration in this study.…”

“…This was encountered previously by Mulak et al, [46], who conducted a word learning study in the same area, and interpreted their null result as possibly reflecting a lack of familiarity with the task. Important to note is that Mulak et al, [46] concluded this based on a predominance of patterned responses, a type of response we already excluded from consideration in this study. Many research experiments are designed with a particular cultural influence and these designs may be interpreted differently in another culture [46,63].…”

“…Important to note is that Mulak et al, [ 46 ] concluded this based on a predominance of patterned responses, a type of response we already excluded from consideration in this study. Many research experiments are designed with a particular cultural influence and these designs may be interpreted differently in another culture [ 46 , 63 ]. We attempted to design the experiment in such a way that it would be as meaningful as possible for the community members, but it remains a foreign task.…”

“…The three local research assistants assisted in the researchers’ presence and independently conducted these experiments in the researchers’ absence, translated from English to Nungon and verbally explained and translated the participant information sheet, consent form, and the experimental procedure upon which participants could provide their written consent. Participants, the research assistants, as well as other community members who were involved in helping to organize the research trip, were financially compensated for their work in local currency at a rate suitable for the local context at an hourly/daily rate equivalent to those paid by the third author for other research activities (see [ 46 , 47 ]. We provide more details regarding the ethical considerations of the research in the S1 File .…”

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“…The experiment did not work as expected and the author admits that one reason might be that the speakers who recorded the utterances were well-respected senior members of the community and that it may have been culturally and socially inappropriate for the participants in the study to challenge what the elders said by qualifying their statements as 'false.' Another interesting example of both a failed and a successful experiment is related in Mulak et al (2021). A team of researchers, including researchers who were familiar with the community, conducted a word learning experiment with 34 Nungon speakers from Papua New Guinea.…”