College Students’ English Vocabulary Learning Strategies Based On The Mental Lexicon Theory

As an important research field of psycholinguistics, mental lexicon theory mainly studies the word and its related information on how these information is stored and extraction in the brain. The mental lexicon contains three main types of word connections they are paradigmatic, syntagmatic and phonological responses. The spreading activation model is one of the most explanatory first proposed by Collins & Loftus (1975). The purpose of this study is to explore whether there is any relationship between the vocabulary learning strategies and the spreading activation model through an experimental study.This thesis is an experimental study based on the spreading activation theory,60 non-English major sophomores students selected as subjects. This paper to analyze the relationship between the vocabulary learning strategies and spreading activation model through the students’memory effect under the spreading activation model. So the research questions are:(ⅰ) Are the vocabulary learning effect of the experimental class better than those of control class under the SAM theory training? (ⅱ) Is there any relationship between the vocabulary learning strategies and spreading activation model? (ⅲ) If there is relationship between the vocabulary learning strategies and spreading activation model, what relationship exists between them?The major findings are:(a) Under the spreading activation model, the vocabulary learning effect of experimental classes is better than control class; (b) The vocabulary learning strategies and spreading activation model have a close relationship; (c) The spreading activation model have an impact on the use of vocabulary learning strategies, more specially, there are some strategies have significant effect.The implications of the findings can be summed up as following:students construct vocabulary semantic network through the teaching of spreading activation model, which is the key factor of meaningful vocabulary leaning. The second important implication is that to construct the word’s inner relation should use some help of spreading activation model. The study puts forward the enlightenment to students and teachers:it is necessary to grasp some theory of mental lexicon and to understand the word and its related information of how it is stored in the brain. By establishing relationships between mental lexicon theory and vocabulary learning strategies to improve vocabulary learning effect.