1
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Hartmann EM, Gade M, Steinhauser M. Neural correlates of adaptive cognitive control in working memory. Psychophysiology 2024; 61:e14457. [PMID: 37861241 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Conflicts in working memory (WM) can occur when retrieval cues activate competing items, which impairs the efficiency of retrieval. It has recently been shown that WM retrieval adapts similarly to these conflicts as predicted by conflict monitoring theory for selective attention tasks. Here, we utilized event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate whether conflict and adaptive control in WM are reflected by the same neural markers that have previously been described for selective attention tasks. In our task, participants encoded two differently colored memory lists that contained four digits each (i.e., 2 5 7 1 and 4 5 9 1), and had to recognize whether a probe item from a specific list and position was correct or incorrect. Conflict during retrieval emerged when digits at corresponding positions (e.g., 2 and 5 at the first position) were different (incongruent), but not when these digits were the same (congruent). In behavioral data, we found a congruency sequence effect, that is, responses to incongruent probe items were slower, and this effect was reduced following trials with incongruent probe items. In ERPs, this behavioral marker of adaptive control was accompanied by two effects. First, congruency affected the amplitude of an N450, and this conflict effect was reduced after incongruent trials. Second, the posterior P3 amplitude varied with the congruency of the current and the previous trial. Both results resemble those found for the Stroop task and thus highlight the similarity between conflict and adaptive control in WM and selective attention tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva-Maria Hartmann
- Department of Psychology, Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Eichstätt, Germany
| | - Miriam Gade
- Department of Psychology, Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Eichstätt, Germany
- Department of Sciences, Medical School Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marco Steinhauser
- Department of Psychology, Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Eichstätt, Germany
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2
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Keller L, Viebahn MC, Hervais-Adelman A, Seeber KG. Unpacking the multilingualism continuum: An investigation of language variety co-activation in simultaneous interpreters. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0289484. [PMID: 38015946 PMCID: PMC10684095 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023] Open
Abstract
This study examines the phonological co-activation of a task-irrelevant language variety in mono- and bivarietal speakers of German with and without simultaneous interpreting (SI) experience during German comprehension and production. Assuming that language varieties in bivarietal speakers are co-activated analogously to the co-activation observed in bilinguals, the hypothesis was tested in the Visual World paradigm. Bivarietalism and SI experience were expected to affect co-activation, as bivarietalism requires communication-context based language-variety selection, while SI hinges on concurrent comprehension and production in two languages; task type was not expected to affect co-activation as previous evidence suggests the phenomenon occurs during comprehension and production. Sixty-four native speakers of German participated in an eye-tracking study and completed a comprehension and a production task. Half of the participants were trained interpreters and half of each sub-group were also speakers of Swiss German (i.e., bivarietal speakers). For comprehension, a growth-curve analysis of fixation proportions on phonological competitors revealed cross-variety co-activation, corroborating the hypothesis that co-activation in bivarietals' minds bears similar traits to language co-activation in multilingual minds. Conversely, co-activation differences were not attributable to SI experience, but rather to differences in language-variety use. Contrary to expectations, no evidence for phonological competition was found for either same- nor cross-variety competitors in either production task (interpreting- and word-naming variety). While phonological co-activation during production cannot be excluded based on our data, exploring the effects of additional demands involved in a production task hinging on a language-transfer component (oral translation from English to Standard German) merit further exploration in the light of a more nuanced understanding of the complexity of the SI task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Keller
- Interpreting Department, Faculty of Translation and Interpreting, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Malte C. Viebahn
- Department of Psychology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Kilian G. Seeber
- Interpreting Department, Faculty of Translation and Interpreting, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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3
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Xing S, Yang J. The Impact of Interpreting Training Experience on the Attentional Networks and Their Dynamics. Brain Sci 2023; 13:1306. [PMID: 37759907 PMCID: PMC10526303 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13091306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Interpreting, a complicated and demanding bilingual task, depends heavily on attentional control. However, few studies have focused on the interpreters' advantages in attention, and the findings so far have been inconsistent. Meanwhile, the connection between attentional networks and other cognitive abilities, such as working memory (WM), has rarely been explored in interpreters. The present study investigated whether interpreting experience (IE) contributed to the attentional networks of bilinguals and explored the link between interpreters' attention and WM. Three groups of Chinese-English bilinguals, differing only in their duration of interpreting training (the More-IE group, the Less-IE group, and the No-IE group), completed the Attention Network Test (ANT). Results showed that only the alerting network was more efficient in the More-IE group than in the Less-IE and No-IE groups; moreover, the dynamics between the alerting and executive networks were significant only in the More-IE group. Furthermore, we found a negative correlation between the executive effect and the working memory capacity (WMC) in the More-IE group. Our study validated and provided empirical support for the Attentional Control Model, stimulating further research into neurocognitive mechanisms of advanced second language learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shunjie Xing
- Bilingual Cognition and Development Lab, Center for Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou 510420, China;
| | - Jing Yang
- School of International Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
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4
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Antoniou K. The ups and downs of bilingualism: A review of the literature on executive control using event-related potentials. Psychon Bull Rev 2023; 30:1187-1226. [PMID: 36703091 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-023-02245-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Whether bilingualism enhances executive control (EC) is controversial. This article reviews 24 studies on the bilingual EC effect using event-related potentials (ERPs). It evaluates the evidence based on considerations of neural efficiency, different EC theories, and accounts regarding the locus of the bilingual effect. The review finds some evidence for a positive bilingual impact. This is more consistent for the P3 and response-locked ERPs. Moreover, when considering each component independently, evidence primarily supports a monitoring and secondarily an inhibition locus. Additionally, an N2/ERN (error-related negativity) dissociation (no bilingual N2 effect but positive ERN impact, evident as smaller ERN), coupled with the P3 results, suggest that monitoring may not be the (only) locus of a bilingual effect but (an)other post-monitoring mechanism(s). Attention disengagement also receives some support. Finally, results across studies are largely consistent with the Bilingualism Anterior to Posterior and Subcortical Shift model (BAPSS): Bilingual effects, when found, often manifest as shorter latencies, larger components or wider amplitude effects during earlier (N2, P3) but smaller components or narrower effects during later processing (stimulus-locked negativities and response-locked components). However, this evidence is not unequivocal. Many bilingual-monolingual comparisons reveal null or some suggest negative or opposite to prediction bilingual effects. Second, the scant evidence about which bilingual experiences impact EC is, generally, unclear, while some evidence indicates negative effects. Third, BAPSS is often not confirmed when multiple components are examined within subjects. Finally, this literature is challenged by confounds and small samples. Further research is required to conclude a positive bilingual effect on EC in ERPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyriakos Antoniou
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Cyprus University of Technology, 15 Vragadinou Street, 3041, Limassol, Cyprus.
- Hellenic Open University, Patra, Greece.
- Center for Applied Neuroscience, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus.
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5
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Markiewicz R, Mazaheri A, Krott A. Bilingualism can cause enhanced monitoring and occasional delayed responses in a flanker task. Eur J Neurosci 2023; 57:129-147. [PMID: 36373596 PMCID: PMC10100525 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Complex cognitive tasks require different stages of processing (i.e. conflict monitoring, attentional resource allocation and stimulus categorisation). Performance differences between bilinguals and monolinguals on conflict tasks can be affected by the balance of these sub-processes. The current study investigated the effect of bilingualism on these sub-processes during a conflict task with medium monitoring demand. Behavioural responses and evoked potentials from bilinguals and monolinguals were examined during a flanker task with 25% incongruent trials. Behavioural differences were analysed by means of averaged response times and exponentially modified Gaussian analyses of response time distributions. For evoked potentials, the study focussed on N2 (reflecting conflict monitoring) and P3 responses (reflecting allocation of attentional resources for cognitive control). Bilinguals had significantly longer response distribution tails compared to monolinguals. Bilinguals were shown to have a more pronounced N2 and smaller P3 compared to monolinguals, independent of condition, suggesting a different balance of sub-processes for the two groups. This suggests that bilinguals were engaged more strongly in monitoring processes, leading to the allocation of fewer attentional resources during stimulus categorisation. Additionally, the P3 amplitudes were negatively related with the length of response distribution tails for bilinguals. These results are consistent with enhanced conflict monitoring in bilinguals that led to reduced engagement of attentional resources for stimulus categorisation. This enhanced conflict monitoring could lead to occasional extremely slow responses. Thus, the bilingual experience appears to impact the balance of cognitive control processes during conflict tasks, which might only be reflected in a minority of responses.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ali Mazaheri
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.,Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Andrea Krott
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.,Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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6
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Boos M, Kobi M, Elmer S, Jäncke L. The influence of experience on cognitive load during simultaneous interpretation. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2022; 234:105185. [PMID: 36130466 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2022.105185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Simultaneous interpretation is a complex task that is assumed to be associated with a high workload. To corroborate this association, we measured workload during three tasks of increasing complexity: listening, shadowing, and interpreting, using electroencephalography and self-assessments in four groups of participants with varying experience in simultaneous interpretation. The self-assessment data showed that professional interpreters perceived the most workload-inducing condition, namely the interpreting task, as less demanding compared to the less experienced participants. This higher subjectively perceived workload in non-interpreters was paralleled by increasing frontal theta power values from listening to interpreting, whereas such a modulation was less pronounced in professional interpreters. Furthermore, regarding both workload measures, trainee interpreters were situated between professional interpreters and non-interpreters. Since the non-interpreters demonstrated high proficiencies and exposure in their second language, too, our findings provide evidence for an influence of interpretation training on experienced workload during simultaneous interpretation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Boos
- Division Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Binzmühlestrasse 14/25, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Matthias Kobi
- Division Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Binzmühlestrasse 14/25, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Stefan Elmer
- Division Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Binzmühlestrasse 14/25, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland; Computational Neuroscience of Speech & Hearing, Department of Computational Linguistics, University of Zurich, Andreasstrasse 15, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Lutz Jäncke
- Division Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Binzmühlestrasse 14/25, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland; University Research Priority Program (URPP) "Dynamics of Healthy Aging", University of Zurich, Andreasstrasse 15/2, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland.
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7
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Chou I, Hu J, Muñoz E, García AM. Discourse-Level Information Recall in Early and Late Bilinguals: Evidence From Single-Language and Cross-Linguistic Tasks. Front Psychol 2021; 12:757351. [PMID: 34764919 PMCID: PMC8576450 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.757351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Bilingualism research indicates that verbal memory skills are sensitive to age of second language (L2) acquisition (AoA). However, most tasks employ disconnected, decontextualized stimuli, undermining ecological validity. Here, we assessed whether AoA impacts the ability to recall information from naturalistic discourse in single-language and cross-linguistic tasks. Twenty-four early and 25 late Chinese-English bilinguals listened to real-life L2 newscasts and orally reproduced their information in English (Task 1) and Chinese (Task 2). Both groups were compared in terms of recalled information (presence and correctness of idea units) and key control measures (e.g., attentional skills, speech rate). Across both tasks, information completeness was higher for early than late bilinguals. This occurred irrespective of attentional speed, speech rate, and additional relevant factors. Such results bridge the gap between classical memory paradigms and ecological designs in bilingualism research, illuminating how particular language profiles shape information processing in daily communicative scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabelle Chou
- School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Jiehui Hu
- School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Edinson Muñoz
- Departamento de Lingüística y Literatura, Facultad de Humanidades, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Adolfo M García
- School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.,Departamento de Lingüística y Literatura, Facultad de Humanidades, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Cognitive Neuroscience Center (CNC), Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Global Brain Health Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
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8
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Carruthers S, Michelini G, Kitsune V, Hosang GM, Brandeis D, Asherson P, Kuntsi J. Early neurophysiological stimulus processing during a performance-monitoring task differentiates women with bipolar disorder from women with ADHD. Psychiatry Res 2021; 303:114088. [PMID: 34252636 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2021.114088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Revised: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or bipolar disorder (BD) may display similar cognitive impairments and clinical symptoms, which might reflect shared mechanisms. Initial evidence indicates disorder-specific and overlapping neurophysiological alterations using event-related potentials (ERPs) in individuals with BD or ADHD during attentional tasks, but it is unknown whether impairments generalize across other processes and tasks. We conduct the first comparison between women with ADHD (n = 20), women with BD (n = 20) and control women (n = 20) on ERPs from a performance-monitoring flanker task. The BD group showed a significantly attenuated frontal ERP of conflict monitoring (N2) compared to the ADHD group across both low-conflict (congruent) and high-conflict (incongruent) task conditions, and compared to controls in the high-conflict condition. However, when controlling for an earlier attentional ERP (frontal N1), which was significantly reduced in participants with BD compared to participants with ADHD and controls, N2 group differences were no longer significant. These results indicate that ERP differences in conflict monitoring may be attributable to differences in earlier attentional processes. These findings identify neural differences in early attention between BD and ADHD which precede conflict monitoring processes, potentially pointing to distinct neural mechanisms implicated in the two disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Carruthers
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, London, UK; Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, London, UK
| | - Giorgia Michelini
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, London, UK; Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Viryanaga Kitsune
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, London, UK
| | - Georgina M Hosang
- Centre for Psychiatry, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Barts & The London School of Medicine & Dentistry, Queen Mary, University of London, London, UK
| | - Daniel Brandeis
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Center for Integrative Human Physiology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Philip Asherson
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, London, UK
| | - Jonna Kuntsi
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, London, UK.
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9
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Zhong F, Dong Y, Liu Y. Neural correlates of contributions of interpreting training to second language semantic integration. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2021; 75:118-129. [PMID: 34428974 DOI: 10.1177/17470218211041842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
How interpreting training may enhance semantic integration in general language processing (instead of language processing during interpreting) was not clear, and its neural correlates remained unexplored. Two groups of university students with different amounts of interpreting training experience (more-IE and less-IE) performed a second language (L2) reading task, in which the target sentence ended with three types of lateralized words: expected words, words of related semantic violation (related violation), and words of unrelated semantic violation (unrelated violation). N400 responses elicited by the final words were used to index semantic integration. Two major findings suggested potential contributions of interpreting training to L2 semantic integration. First, the more-IE group exhibited smaller N400 amplitudes than the less-IE group for expected words, and no group differences were obtained for the two violations. Second, N400 amplitudes for related violations were generally smaller than those for unrelated violations in the right visual field, and this difference was more fully captured (more broadly distributed over the scalp) in the more-IE group than in the less-IE group. Therefore, smaller N400 amplitudes for expected words but not for violations, and broader scalp distribution of the differences between related and unrelated violations constitute the neural correlates for the potential contributions of interpreting training to general L2 semantic integration. The results also suggest possible connections between different types of language experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Zhong
- School of Foreign Languages for Business, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu, China
| | - Yanping Dong
- Department of Linguistics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yaqiong Liu
- Faculty of English Language and Culture, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China
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10
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Jiao L, Liu C, Schwieter JW, Chen B. Switching between newly learned languages impacts executive control. Psychophysiology 2021; 58:e13888. [PMID: 34180065 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Revised: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Previous research has explored the relationship between language control and executive control based on performance in bilinguals' skilled languages. However, this relationship between bilingualism and executive control has not been examined at the very initial stage of language learning. In the present study, we trained Chinese speakers to learn words in German and Japanese, two languages with which they had no prior experience. In pre- and post-training, we measured participants' electrophysiological data to investigate how switching between these two newly learned languages affected executive control. We observed that, while lacking the language switching effect in the behavioral data, a flanker task elicited larger N2 and P3 amplitudes in the post-training session when participants were required to switch between German and Japanese compared to when they responded to only German or Japanese. These results provided evidence of language control of newly learned languages on domain-general executive control, specifically at the (very) initial period of language learning. Our findings support the adaptive nature of the relationship between bilingual language control and executive control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Jiao
- Department of Psychology, Normal College & School of Teacher Education, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Cong Liu
- Department of Psychology, Normal College & School of Teacher Education, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - John W Schwieter
- Language Acquisition, Multilingualism, and Cognition Laboratory/Bilingualism Matters @ Laurier, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Baoguo Chen
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
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11
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König N, Steber S, Borowski A, Bliem HR, Rossi S. Neural Processing of Cognitive Control in an Emotionally Neutral Context in Anxiety Patients. Brain Sci 2021; 11:543. [PMID: 33925958 PMCID: PMC8146407 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11050543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Impaired cognitive control plays a crucial role in anxiety disorders and is associated with deficient neural mechanisms in the fronto-parietal network. Usually, these deficits were found in tasks with an emotional context. The present study aimed at investigating electrophysiological and vascular signatures from event-related brain potentials (ERPs) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in anxiety patients versus healthy controls during an inhibition task integrated in an emotionally neutral context. Neural markers were acquired during the completion of a classical Eriksen flanker task. The focus of data analysis has been the ERPs N200 and P300 and fNIRS activations in addition to task performance. No behavioral or neural group differences were identified. ERP findings showed a larger N2pc and a delayed and reduced P300 for incongruent stimuli. The N2pc modulation suggests the reorienting of attention to salient stimuli, while the P300 indicates longer lasting stimulus evaluation processes due to increased task difficulty. FNIRS did not result in any significant activation potentially suggesting a contribution from deeper brain areas not measurable with fNIRS. The missing group difference in our non-emotional task indicates that no generalized cognitive control deficit but rather a more emotionally driven deficit is present in anxiety patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola König
- ICONE-Innsbruck Cognitive Neuroscience, Department for Hearing, Speech and Voice Disorders, Medical University of Innsbruck, Anichstraße 35, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
- Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 52f, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Sarah Steber
- ICONE-Innsbruck Cognitive Neuroscience, Department for Hearing, Speech and Voice Disorders, Medical University of Innsbruck, Anichstraße 35, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
- Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 52f, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Anna Borowski
- ICONE-Innsbruck Cognitive Neuroscience, Department for Hearing, Speech and Voice Disorders, Medical University of Innsbruck, Anichstraße 35, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
- Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 52f, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Harald R. Bliem
- Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 52f, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Sonja Rossi
- ICONE-Innsbruck Cognitive Neuroscience, Department for Hearing, Speech and Voice Disorders, Medical University of Innsbruck, Anichstraße 35, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
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12
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Tao L, Wang G, Zhu M, Cai Q. Bilingualism and domain-general cognitive functions from a neural perspective: A systematic review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 125:264-295. [PMID: 33631315 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.02.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Revised: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
A large body of research has indicated that bilingualism - through continual practice in language control - may impact cognitive functions, as well as relevant aspects of brain function and structure. The present review aimed to bring together findings on the relationship between bilingualism and domain-general cognitive functions from a neural perspective. The final sample included 210 studies, covering findings regarding neural responses to bilingual language control and/or domain-general cognitive tasks, as well as findings regarding effects of bilingualism on non-task-related brain function and brain structure. The evidence indicates that a) bilingual language control likely entails neural mechanisms responsible for domain-general cognitive functions; b) bilingual experiences impact neural responses to domain-general cognitive functions; and c) bilingual experiences impact non-task-related brain function (both resting-state and metabolic function) as well as aspects of brain structure (both macrostructure and microstructure), each of which may in turn impact mental processes, including domain-general cognitive functions. Such functional and structural neuroplasticity associated with bilingualism may contribute to both cognitive and neural reserves, producing benefits across the lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lily Tao
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (MOE & STCSM), Shanghai Changning-ECNU Mental Health Center, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, China
| | - Gongting Wang
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (MOE & STCSM), Shanghai Changning-ECNU Mental Health Center, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, China
| | - Miaomiao Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (MOE & STCSM), Shanghai Changning-ECNU Mental Health Center, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, China
| | - Qing Cai
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (MOE & STCSM), Shanghai Changning-ECNU Mental Health Center, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, China; Institute of Brain and Education Innovation, East China Normal University, China; NYU-ECNU Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science, New York University Shanghai, China.
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13
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Song S, Li D. The Predicting Power of Cognitive Fluency for the Development of Utterance Fluency in Simultaneous Interpreting. Front Psychol 2020; 11:1864. [PMID: 32903742 PMCID: PMC7438941 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2019] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Although simultaneous interpreting (SI) is generally recognized as a highly demanding cognitive activity in nature, the role of cognitive processes in SI fluency is yet to be determined. While utterance fluency refers to the set of objectively determined oral features of utterances, cognitive fluency means the speaker’s efficient mobilization and integration of underlying cognitive processes responsible for utterance production. An investigation into the relationship of the two dimensions of fluency helps to reveal the cognitive bases of interpreting. This study explores the predicting power of cognitive fluency in the utterance fluency development of L2 (English)–L1 (Chinese) SI output of trainee interpreters. Cognitive fluency was operationalized as measures of lexical access, linguistic attention control, and working memory capacity. Measures of utterance fluency were obtained through simulated SI tasks under conditions of low and high input rates. Twenty-eight trainees interpreted two speeches, one with a high input rate and the other with a low input rate, at the beginning and end of an SI training period of 13 weeks. A bilingual corpus of the participants’ SI output was built, and indicators of SI utterance fluency were annotated systematically. Utterance fluency was indexed by the speech rate, mean length of run, phonation time ratio, mean number of silent pauses, and mean number of disfluencies. Results of analyses indicated that (1) the predicting power of cognitive fluency for SI utterance fluency development was only shown under high cognitive load over a training period of 13 weeks; (2) predictors for the development of SI utterance fluency tended to be the efficiency of cognitive processes involved in the target language production stage; and (3) the inclusion of measures of working memory capacity significantly increased the predicting power of cognitive fluency for SI utterance fluency development. This study for the first time provides evidence for the role of cognitive fluency in trainee interpreters’ SI utterance fluency development, having implications for the theoretical framework of cognitive fluency and the information processing mechanism in interpreting process, as well as for interpreter aptitude tests and interpreting pedagogy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuxian Song
- School of Translation Studies, Qufu Normal University, Rizhao, China.,Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Dechao Li
- Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong
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14
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Jiao L, Liu C, Bruin A, Chen B. Effects of language context on executive control in unbalanced bilinguals: An ERPs study. Psychophysiology 2020; 57:e13653. [DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2019] [Revised: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lu Jiao
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education Faculty of Psychology Beijing Normal University Beijing China
| | - Cong Liu
- Department of Psychology Normal College & School of Teacher Education Qingdao University Qingdao China
| | - Angela Bruin
- Department of Psychology University of York York UK
| | - Baoguo Chen
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education Faculty of Psychology Beijing Normal University Beijing China
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15
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Hayakawa S, Marian V. Consequences of multilingualism for neural architecture. Behav Brain Funct 2019; 15:6. [PMID: 30909931 PMCID: PMC6432751 DOI: 10.1186/s12993-019-0157-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2019] [Accepted: 03/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Language has the power to shape cognition, behavior, and even the form and function of the brain. Technological and scientific developments have recently yielded an increasingly diverse set of tools with which to study the way language changes neural structures and processes. Here, we review research investigating the consequences of multilingualism as revealed by brain imaging. A key feature of multilingual cognition is that two or more languages can become activated at the same time, requiring mechanisms to control interference. Consequently, extensive experience managing multiple languages can influence cognitive processes as well as their neural correlates. We begin with a brief discussion of how bilinguals activate language, and of the brain regions implicated in resolving language conflict. We then review evidence for the pervasive impact of bilingual experience on the function and structure of neural networks that support linguistic and non-linguistic cognitive control, speech processing and production, and language learning. We conclude that even seemingly distinct effects of language on cognitive operations likely arise from interdependent functions, and that future work directly exploring the interactions between multiple levels of processing could offer a more comprehensive view of how language molds the mind.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sayuri Hayakawa
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, 2240 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Viorica Marian
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, 2240 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA.
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Jiao L, Liu C, Liang L, Plummer P, Perfetti CA, Chen B. The contributions of language control to executive functions: From the perspective of bilingual comprehension. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2019; 72:1984-1997. [DOI: 10.1177/1747021818821601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies have suggested that bilingual production experience has beneficial effects on executive functions. In the current study, four experiments were conducted to investigate whether bilingual comprehension experience influences executive functions. In Experiments 1 and 2, Chinese–English bilinguals completed a flanker task interleaved with a language comprehension task (reading comprehension in Experiment 1 and listening comprehension in Experiment 2). There were three blocks distinguished by language context, with a Chinese (L1) block, an English (L2) block, and a mixed (L1 and L2) block. Results showed that performance in the mixed block was better on both congruent and incongruent flanker trials when compared with the L1 and L2 blocks, indicating better monitoring functions overall. In Experiments 3 and 4 (reading comprehension and listening comprehension, respectively), participants were also exposed to three language contexts (i.e., L1, L2, and mixed block) but performed a non-conflict control task that did not require any conflict resolution. The results of Experiments 3 and 4 showed similar performance under the three different language contexts. Taken together, these results indicate that language control mechanisms involved in bilingual comprehension contribute to domain-general executive control performance. The results suggest a monitoring mechanism establishes a bridge connecting executive functions and bilingual language control during comprehension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Jiao
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Cong Liu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lijuan Liang
- School of English and Education, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China
| | - Patrick Plummer
- Department of Psychology, Howard University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Charles A Perfetti
- Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Baoguo Chen
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
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17
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Lin X, Lei VLC, Li D, Yuan Z. Which is more costly in Chinese to English simultaneous interpreting, "pairing" or "transphrasing"? Evidence from an fNIRS neuroimaging study. NEUROPHOTONICS 2018; 5:025010. [PMID: 29876369 PMCID: PMC5987679 DOI: 10.1117/1.nph.5.2.025010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2017] [Accepted: 05/11/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
This study examined the neural mechanism underlying two translation strategies associated with Chinese to English simultaneous interpreting (SI) targeting the left prefrontal cortex (PFC), which is generally involved in the control of interference and conflict resolution and has been identified as the brain area that plays a pivotal role in SI. Brain activation associated with the two strategies including "pairing" and "transphrasing" were compared with that from "nontranslation," which keeps the source language item unchanged in the target language production and is considered as a tactic that does not require complex cognitive operation associated with bilingual processing effort. Our findings revealed that "pairing" elicited the strongest and almost immediate brain activation in the Broca's area, and "transphrasing" resulted in the most extensive and strongest activation overall in the left PFC. By contrast, "nontranslation" induced very little brain activation in these regions. This work, which represents one of the first efforts in investigating brain activation related to translation strategies involving different levels of cognitive control, will not only pave a new avenue for better understanding of the cognitive mechanism underlying SI but also provide further insight into the role that the Broca's region plays in domain-general cognitive control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohong Lin
- University of Macau, Bioimaging Core, Faculty of Health Sciences, Macao, China
- Hangzhou Normal University, Institutes of Psychological Sciences, Hangzhou, China
| | - Victoria Lai Cheng Lei
- University of Macau, Centre for Studies of Translation, Interpreting and Cognition, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Macao, China
| | - Defeng Li
- University of Macau, Centre for Studies of Translation, Interpreting and Cognition, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Macao, China
| | - Zhen Yuan
- University of Macau, Bioimaging Core, Faculty of Health Sciences, Macao, China
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18
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Yang J, Ye J, Wang R, Zhou K, Wu YJ. Bilingual Contexts Modulate the Inhibitory Control Network. Front Psychol 2018; 9:395. [PMID: 29636713 PMCID: PMC5881103 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2017] [Accepted: 03/09/2018] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study investigated influences of language contexts on inhibitory control and the underlying neural processes. Thirty Cantonese–Mandarin–English trilingual speakers, who were highly proficient in Cantonese (L1) and Mandarin (L2), and moderately proficient in English (L3), performed a picture-naming task in three dual-language contexts (L1-L2, L2-L3, and L1-L3). After each of the three naming tasks, participants performed a flanker task, measuring contextual effects on the inhibitory control system. Behavioral results showed a typical flanker effect in the L2-L3 and L1-L3 condition, but not in the L1-L2 condition, which indicates contextual facilitation on inhibitory control performance by the L1-L2 context. Whole brain analysis of the fMRI data acquired during the flanker tasks showed more neural activations in the right prefrontal cortex and subcortical areas in the L2-L3 and L1-L3 condition on one hand as compared to the L1-L2 condition on the other hand, suggesting greater involvement of the cognitive control areas when participants were performing the flanker task in L2-L3 and L1-L3 contexts. Effective connectivity analyses displayed a cortical-subcortical-cerebellar circuitry for inhibitory control in the trilinguals. However, contrary to the right-lateralized network in the L1-L2 condition, functional networks for inhibitory control in the L2-L3 and L1-L3 condition are less integrated and more left-lateralized. These findings provide a novel perspective for investigating the interaction between bilingualism (multilingualism) and inhibitory control by demonstrating instant behavioral effects and neural plasticity as a function of changes in global language contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Yang
- Bilingual Cognition and Development Lab, Center for Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jianqiao Ye
- Bilingual Cognition and Development Lab, Center for Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ruiming Wang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ke Zhou
- College of Psychology and Sociology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.,Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Affective and Social Cognitive Science, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yan Jing Wu
- Faculty of Foreign Languages, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
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19
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Anatomical and functional changes in the brain after simultaneous interpreting training: A longitudinal study. Cortex 2018; 99:243-257. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2017.11.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2017] [Revised: 10/28/2017] [Accepted: 11/30/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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20
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Liang J, Fang Y, Lv Q, Liu H. Dependency Distance Differences across Interpreting Types: Implications for Cognitive Demand. Front Psychol 2017; 8:2132. [PMID: 29312027 PMCID: PMC5733006 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2017] [Accepted: 11/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Interpreting is generally recognized as a particularly demanding language processing task for the cognitive system. Dependency distance, the linear distance between two syntactically related words in a sentence, is an index of sentence complexity and is also able to reflect the cognitive constraints during various tasks. In the current research, we examine the difference in dependency distance among three interpreting types, namely, simultaneous interpreting, consecutive interpreting and read-out translated speech based on a treebank comprising these types of interpreting output texts with dependency annotation. Results show that different interpreting renditions yield different dependency distances, and consecutive interpreting texts entail the smallest dependency distance other than those of simultaneous interpreting and read-out translated speech, suggesting that consecutive interpreting bears heavier cognitive demands than simultaneous interpreting. The current research suggests for the first time that interpreting is an extremely demanding cognitive task that can further mediate the dependency distance of output sentences. Such findings may be due to the minimization of dependency distance under cognitive constraints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junying Liang
- Department of Linguistics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yuanyuan Fang
- Department of Linguistics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Qianxi Lv
- Department of Linguistics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Haitao Liu
- Department of Linguistics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Centre for Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China.,Ningbo Institute of Technology, Zhejiang University, Ningbo, China
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21
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Timmer K, Grundy JG, Bialystok E. Earlier and more distributed neural networks for bilinguals than monolinguals during switching. Neuropsychologia 2017; 106:245-260. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.09.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2017] [Revised: 07/18/2017] [Accepted: 09/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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22
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Kałamała P, Szewczyk J, Senderecka M, Wodniecka Z. Flanker task with equiprobable congruent and incongruent conditions does not elicit the conflict N2. Psychophysiology 2017; 55. [DOI: 10.1111/psyp.12980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2016] [Revised: 06/13/2017] [Accepted: 07/16/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Jakub Szewczyk
- Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University; Kraków Poland
| | | | - Zofia Wodniecka
- Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University; Kraków Poland
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