Timed Grammaticality Judgment Test (TGJT)

Background

The Timed Grammaticality Judgment Test (TGJT) is a psycholinguistic assessment of implicit knowledge of English. The test specifically provides English sentences that may or may not contain grammatical errors, and participants have to quickly decide whether each sentence is grammatically correct or incorrect. The sentences appear with strict short time limits (e.g., a few seconds per item) to prevent slow, conscious analysis. Rod Ellis developed the TGJT in 2005 to provide a standardized instrument to measure second language implicit knowledge of English.

Task Procedure

Participants work on 68 sentences, each presented one-after-the- other in randomized order. Each sentence is presented for a maximum duration that depends on the length of the sentence. Millisecond established five duration categories that range from 1800 - 6240ms (the reported range by Ellis (2005)). The original durations have not been reported by Ellis (2005). Participants must press the 'E' and 'I' keys for grammatically correct and incorrect sentences, respectively.

The 68 sentences are divided into 17 grammar rules with 4 sentences each (2 correct and 2 incorrect). Grammar rules include, for example, the comparison between 'for' and 'since' (e.g. "I have been studying English since a long time") and adverbs (e.g. "He plays soccer very well.").

What it Measures

The Timed Grammaticality Judgment Test (TGJT) is a measure of implicit language proficiency

Psychological domains

• Psycholinguistics (Language Processing & Representation): Ability to acquire, store, and comprehend words
• Implicit Memory (Procedural): The automatic, subconscious memory systems used to execute habits and skills without conscious awareness of the rules.
• Bilingualism: Effects of cross-language competition and language dominance
• Executive Function & Cognitive Control: Inhibitory control and conflict monitoring in bilingualism

Main Performance Metrics

• Proportion Correct: Accuracy of responding; main measure of intuitive knowledge
• Mean Response Time: Average processing speed

Psychiatric Conditions

The Timed Grammaticality Judgment Test (TGJT) is used with the following patient groups

• Aphasia
• Strokes
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Alzheimer's Disease (AD)
• Parkinson's Disease (PD)

References

Search Google Scholar for peer-reviewed, published research using the Inquisit Timed Grammaticality Judgment Test (TGJT).

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Ellis, R. (2005). MEASURING IMPLICIT AND EXPLICIT KNOWLEDGE OF A SECOND LANGUAGE: A Psychometric Study. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 27(2), 141–172. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263105050096

Ellis, R., & u.a. (2009). Implicit and explicit knowledge in second language learning, testing and teaching. In MultiLingual Matters Backlist eBook-Package 2000-2013 (1st ed., Vol. 42). Multilingual Matters. https://doi.org/10.21832/9781847691767

Zhang, R. (2015). MEASURING UNIVERSITY-LEVEL L2 LEARNERS’ IMPLICIT AND EXPLICIT LINGUISTIC KNOWLEDGE. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 37(3), 457–486. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263114000370