Statistical learning of foreign language words in younger and older adults

Statistical learning, that is, our ability to track and learn from distributional information in theenvironment, plays a fundamental role in language acquisition, yet little research has investigatedthis process in older language learners. In the present study, we address this gap by comparing thecross-situational learning of foreign words in younger and older adults. We also tested whetherlearning was affected by previous experience with multiple languages. We found that both agegroups successfully learned the novel words after a short exposure period, confirming thatstatistical learning ability is preserved in late adulthood. However, the two groups differed intheir learning trajectories, with the younger group outperforming the older group during the laterstages of learning. Previous language experience did not predict learning outcomes. Given thatimplicit language learning mechanisms are shown to be preserved over the lifespan, the presentdata provide crucial support for the assumptions underlying claims that language learninginterventions in older age could be leveraged as a targeted intervention to help build or maintainresilience to age-related cognitive decline.