Abstract
The present study investigates the role of vocabulary processing in incidental L2 vocabulary learning through reading within the framework of the type of processing-resource allocation (TOPRA) model (Barcroft, 2000). According to the TOPRA model, the allocation of L2 learners' cognitive resources determines what aspect of L2 vocabulary (e.g., meaning, form, and form-meaning connection or FMC) is learned. The model also predicts that one type of processing depletes remaining resources that otherwise could be used to process other aspects of vocabulary; this is considered to be a necessary consequence, as learners' cognitive resources are limited. Within this framework and using university-level Japanese EFL learners, the present research compares the effects of semantic processing and form processing with the lack of any particular vocabulary processing (control). The results show that, in general, semantic processing inhibits the learning of forms and FMCs of new L2 vocabulary, whereas form processing accelerates the learning of new L2 forms but inhibits the learning of FMCs. These results suggest that processing-resource allocation plays an important role in incidental new L2 vocabulary learning.
