Chapter 8. Savings in the relearning of mission vocabulary

This chapter extends the line of research which has recently applied the savings paradigm from cognitive psychology to vocabulary relearning. L2 data from 304 returned missionaries from Japan and Korea provide evidence of the strongest savings effect yet reported in studies of lexical reactivation. The extent of the savings advantage appears to decline over time (with age a confounding factor), and relates significantly to current vocabulary size. No significant gender effects in savings are evident, but unexpected differences between the L2 Japanese and L2 Korean subgroups are reported in both lexical maintenance and savings accessibility. Substantial Matthew Effects in both data sets help elucidate sources of individual differences in vocabulary learning and relearning.