The Transfer Of Chinese Tonal Inversion Rule Among Syllable Strings With Different Lengths

Human could learn a lot of structural knowledge without conscious from the environment because of the powerful learning ability. Reber called this learning ability implicit learning in 1967. While what kind of knowledge could be learned from the environment implicitly? Underlying abstract rules or specific surface features? This is an important question that researchers want to address. Most researchers used finite-state grammars to study implicit learning, while finite-state grammars is difficult to distinguish abstract rules from surface features with almost entirely local dependencies.The present study used nonlocal dependencies generated by higher than finite-state grammars. These study consist of three parts, to study the transfer of Chinese tonal inversion rules in different lengths, aim to find new evidence to support that humans could learn the abstract rules implicitly. Study one consist of two experiments with 16 meaningless syllables used as experimental material. Experimentt one using 8 syllable strings as study materials, and 8 syllable strings as test materials. Experiment two used 12 syllable strings as learning materials, and 12 syllable strings as test materials. Purpose of study is to verify that whether subjects could also acquire the rule or not from the 8 or 12 syllable strings learning materials. The second study also contains two experiments, experiment one and experiment two during the learning phase of learning materials in 8 or 12 syllable strings, was tested with 10 syllable strings. Purpose of study is to verify that whether subjects can transfer the rules into the length 10 syllable strings. The third study just contains one experiment.8 syllable strings mixed with 12 syllable strings, and test materials are 10 syllable strings. So as to see whether this kind of mixing up materials could promote or inhibit subjects to acquire rules.We could see from the results, when the material length is 8 syllable strings in learning stage, subjects could acquire rules, but cannot transfer the rules into the 10 syllable strings; when material length is 12 syllable stings in learning stage, subjects could not acquire rules, and cannot transfer the rules into the 10 syllable strings; while when put 8 syllable strings and 12 syllable strings mixed up as learning materials, subjects could transfer the rules into the 10 syllable strings. This is new evidence for learning the abstract rules in implicit learning.This study uses Chinese tonal inversion rules, different length syllable strings mixing for the first time as learning materials to study that rules showed in different forms have an effect on the implicit learning.