Although transfer learning has been shown to be successful for tasks like object and speech recognition, its applicability to question answering (QA) has yet to be well-studied. In this paper, we conduct extensive experiments to investigate the transferability of knowledge learned from a source QA dataset to a target dataset using two QA models. The performance of both models on a TOEFL listeni...

Background: The present study aims to investigate which variables affect English as a foreign language (EFL) students’ listening comprehension test performance. It examines two types of variables: (1) test formats and (2) test materials. Methods: First, three types of test formats are investigated: (1) questions are not written but given orally only once in English and in the students’ first la...

While listening plays an important role in the process of foreign/second language learning, different factors can affect this process. This study was designed to assess the relationship between listening anxiety and metacognitive strategy awareness with a special interest in the role of gender and proficiency level. In order to conduct this survey, two instruments including the Metacognitive Aw...

Attention modulates auditory perception, but there are currently no simple tests that specifically quantify this modulation. To fill the gap, we developed a new, easy-to-use test of attention in listening (TAIL) based on reaction time. On each trial, two clearly audible tones were presented sequentially, either at the same or different ears. The frequency of the tones was also either the same o...

Situational judgement tests (SJTs) present scenarios drawn from a work context and ask respondents to select the most appropriate response from among a range of options. They therefore attempt to assess aspects of social cognition that are not often measured in traditional selection batteries. The present study asked participants to complete a high-fidelity SJT constructed by staff at ETS to as...

When listening to music, we form implicit expectations about the forthcoming temporal sequence. Listeners acquire knowledge of music through processes such as statistical learning, but how do different types of statistical information affect listeners’ learning and memory? To investigate this, we conducted a behavioral study in which participants repeatedly heard tone sequences varying within a...