The Role of Motor Learning in Second Language Production
28 April 2025
We are investigating whether individuals with previous motor expertise are better at learning a novel sign language. Participants will be asked to watch and repeat a serious of signs, and their performance will be coded and compared. We already have a group of native British Sign Language (BSL) signers. In the current phase, we are recruiting participants for a motor group - individuals with over 10 years of experience playing a musical instrument and/or a practical music grade of 5 or above.
Requirements
- Age 18-50
- Native English speakers (born and raised in an English-speaking family)
- Learned an L2 (level of proficiency may vary e.g., from GCSE to fluent users)
- Never learned any sign languages before
- Healthy adults (without a diagnosis of ADHD, ASD, or other movement disorders)
- Played any musical instruments for more than ten years AND/OR achieved a practical grade of 5 or above
Keywords
Ethical approval
This study has been approved by the University of Birmingham Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Ethical Review Committee (ERN_0889 -Mar 2023).
