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Blackburn AM, Wicha NYY. The Effect of Code-Switching Experience on the Neural Response Elicited to a Sentential Code Switch. LANGUAGES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 7:178. [PMID: 36188491 PMCID: PMC9521017 DOI: 10.3390/languages7030178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Switching between languages, or codeswitching, is a cognitive ability that multilinguals can perform with ease. This study investigates whether codeswitching during sentence reading affects early access to meaning, as indexed by the robust brain response called the N400. We hypothesize that the brain prioritizes the meaning of the word during comprehension with codeswitching costs emerging at a different stage of processing. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while Spanish-English balanced bilinguals (n = 24) read Spanish sentences containing a target noun that could create a semantic violation, codeswitch or both. Self-reported frequency of daily codeswitching was used as a regressor to determine if the cost of reading a switch is modulated by codeswitching experience. A robust N400 to semantic violations was followed by a late positive component (LPC). Codeswitches modulated the left anterior negativity (LAN) and LPC, but not the N400, with codeswitched semantic violations resulting in a sub-additive interaction. Codeswitching experience modulated the LPC, but not the N400. The results suggest that early access to semantic memory during comprehension happens independent of the language in which the words are presented. Codeswitching affects a separate stage of comprehension with switching experience modulating the brain's response to experiencing a language switch.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angélique M. Blackburn
- Department of Psychology & Communication, Texas A&M International University, Laredo, TX 78041, USA
| | - Nicole Y. Y. Wicha
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA
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van den Berg F, Brouwer J, Tienkamp TB, Verhagen J, Keijzer M. Language Entropy Relates to Behavioral and Pupil Indices of Executive Control in Young Adult Bilinguals. Front Psychol 2022; 13:864763. [PMID: 35602687 PMCID: PMC9116486 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.864763] [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: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction It has been proposed that bilinguals' language use patterns are differentially associated with executive control. To further examine this, the present study relates the social diversity of bilingual language use to performance on a color-shape switching task (CSST) in a group of bilingual university students with diverse linguistic backgrounds. Crucially, this study used language entropy as a measure of bilinguals' language use patterns. This continuous measure reflects a spectrum of language use in a variety of social contexts, ranging from compartmentalized use to fully integrated use. Methods Language entropy for university and non-university contexts was calculated from questionnaire data on language use. Reaction times (RTs) were measured to calculate global RT and switching and mixing costs on the CSST, representing conflict monitoring, mental set shifting, and goal maintenance, respectively. In addition, this study innovatively recorded a potentially more sensitive measure of set shifting abilities, namely, pupil size during task performance. Results Higher university entropy was related to slower global RT. Neither university entropy nor non-university entropy were associated with switching costs as manifested in RTs. However, bilinguals with more compartmentalized language use in non-university contexts showed a larger difference in pupil dilation for switch trials in comparison with non-switch trials. Mixing costs in RTs were reduced for bilinguals with higher diversity of language use in non-university contexts. No such effects were found for university entropy. Discussion These results point to the social diversity of bilinguals' language use as being associated with executive control, but the direction of the effects may depend on social context (university vs. non-university). Importantly, the results also suggest that some of these effects may only be detected by using more sensitive measures, such as pupil dilation. The paper discusses theoretical and practical implications regarding the language entropy measure and the cognitive effects of bilingual experiences more generally, as well as how methodological choices can advance our understanding of these effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Floor van den Berg
- Department of Linguistics & English as a Second Language, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Jelle Brouwer
- Department of Linguistics & English as a Second Language, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Thomas B. Tienkamp
- Department of Computational Semantics, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Josje Verhagen
- Amsterdam Center for Language and Communication, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Merel Keijzer
- Department of Linguistics & English as a Second Language, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
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3
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Xie Z, Antolovic K. Differential impacts of natural L2 immersion and intensive classroom L2 training on cognitive control. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2021; 75:550-562. [PMID: 34353169 DOI: 10.1177/17470218211040813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The relationship between bilingualism and cognitive control has been controversial. We believe that the discrepant findings are likely driven by the complexities of the bilingual experience, which is consistent with the Adaptive Control Hypothesis. The current study investigates whether the natural language immersion experience and the classroom intensive language training experience have differential impacts on cognitive control. Among unbalanced Chinese-English bilingual students, a natural L2 (second language) immersion group, an L2 public speaking training group, and a control bilingual group without immersion or training experience were compared on their cognitive control abilities, with the participants' demographic factors strictly controlled. The results showed that the L2 immersion group and the L2 speaking group had faster speed than the control group in the Flanker task, whereas the L2 immersion group had fewer errors than the other two groups in the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). These results generally provide evidence in favour of the Adaptive Control Hypothesis, specifying that natural L2 immersion and L2 public speaking training experiences are distinctively related to cognitive control. The current study is the first of its kind to link specific bilingual experiences (natural L2 immersion vs. intensive L2 public speaking) with different components of cognitive control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhilong Xie
- Foreign Languages College, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, China
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4
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Rieker JA, Reales JM, Ballesteros S. The Effect of Bilingualism on Cue-Based vs. Memory-Based Task Switching in Older Adults. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 14:610548. [PMID: 33390921 PMCID: PMC7775305 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.610548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2020] [Accepted: 11/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Findings suggest a positive impact of bilingualism on cognition, including the later onset of dementia. However, it is not clear to what extent these effects are influenced by variations in attentional control demands in response to specific task requirements. In this study, 20 bilingual and 20 monolingual older adults performed a task-switching task under explicit task-cuing vs. memory-based switching conditions. In the cued condition, task switches occurred in random order and a visual cue signaled the next task to be performed. In the memory-based condition, the task alternated after every second trial in a predictable sequence without presenting a cue. The performance of bilinguals did not vary across experimental conditions, whereas monolinguals experienced a pronounced increase in response latencies and error rates in the cued condition. Both groups produced similar switch costs (difference in performance on switch trials as opposed to repeating trials within the mixed-task block) and mixing costs (difference in performance on repeat trials of a mixed-task block as opposed to trials of a single-task block), but bilinguals produced them with lower response latencies. The cognitive benefits of bilingualism seem not to apply to executive functions per se but to affect specific cognitive processes that involve task-relevant context processing. The present results suggest that lifelong bilingualism could promote in older adults a flexible adjustment to environmental cues, but only with increased task demands. However, due to the small sample size, the results should be interpreted with caution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer A Rieker
- Studies on Aging and Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group, Madrid, Spain.,Department of Basic Psychology II, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional, Madrid, Spain
| | - José Manuel Reales
- Studies on Aging and Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group, Madrid, Spain.,Department Methodology of Behavioral Sciences, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Madrid, Spain
| | - Soledad Ballesteros
- Studies on Aging and Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group, Madrid, Spain.,Department of Basic Psychology II, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional, Madrid, Spain
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5
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Language proficiency, sociolinguistic factors and inhibitory control among bilinguals. JOURNAL OF CULTURAL COGNITIVE SCIENCE 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s41809-020-00065-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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6
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Kuzyk O, Friend M, Severdija V, Zesiger P, Poulin-Dubois D. Are there Cognitive Benefits of Code-switching in Bilingual Children? A longitudinal study. BILINGUALISM (CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND) 2020; 23:542-553. [PMID: 32774130 PMCID: PMC7413223 DOI: 10.1017/s1366728918001207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The current study explored bilingual parent and child code-switching patterns over time. Concurrent and predictive models of code-switching behaviour on executive function outcomes were also examined in a sample of 29 French-English bilinguals at 36 (Wave 1) and 61 (Wave 2) months of age. We investigated whether code-switching typology in a single-language context predicted executive function performance at each wave independently, and whether growth in code-switching frequency across waves predicted executive function performance at Wave 2. At both waves, parents and children participated in two free play sessions (in English and French), followed by a battery of executive function tasks administered in the dominant language. Results indicate more frequent code-switching from the non-dominant to the dominant language in children, and that children code-switch to fill lexical gaps. Results also suggest that less frequent code-switching in a single-language context is associated with better inhibitory control skills during the preschool period.
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7
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Wodniecka Z, Casado A, Kałamała P, Marecka M, Timmer K, Wolna A. The dynamics of language experience and how it affects language and cognition. PSYCHOLOGY OF LEARNING AND MOTIVATION 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.plm.2020.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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8
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Crespo K, Gross M, Kaushanskaya M. The effects of dual language exposure on executive function in Spanish-English bilingual children with different language abilities. J Exp Child Psychol 2019; 188:104663. [PMID: 31446311 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2019.104663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2018] [Revised: 07/08/2019] [Accepted: 07/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The current study examined the effects of dual language exposure on executive function in 5- to 11-year-old Spanish-English bilingual children with different language skills. Dual language exposure was measured via parent report and was operationalized as the proportion of time spent in an environment where both English and Spanish were present. Executive function was measured via the Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS) task. Shifting costs, switching costs, and mixing costs were derived to index executive function performance. A significant interaction between extent of dual language exposure and language skills was observed such that children showed smaller shifting and mixing costs with increased dual language input as their language skills increased. The results suggest a graded effect of dual language exposure on executive function, where a robust language system may be required for dual language exposure to influence executive function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly Crespo
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
| | - Megan Gross
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Margarita Kaushanskaya
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
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9
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Poarch GJ, Krott A. A Bilingual Advantage? An Appeal for a Change in Perspective and Recommendations for Future Research. Behav Sci (Basel) 2019; 9:E95. [PMID: 31487900 PMCID: PMC6769592 DOI: 10.3390/bs9090095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2019] [Revised: 08/08/2019] [Accepted: 08/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The debate on possible cognitive advantages bilinguals have over monolinguals continues to occupy the research community. There is an ever-growing research body focusing on adjudicating whether there is, in fact, an effect of using two or more languages regularly on cognition. In this paper, we briefly review some of the more pertinent literature that has attempted to identify attenuating, modulating, and confounding factors in research comparing monolingual and bilingual populations, and we highlight issues that should be taken into account in future research to move forward as a research community. At the same time, we argue for a change in perspective concerning what is deemed an advantage and what is not and argue for more ecologically valid research that investigates real-life advantages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory J Poarch
- English Department, University of Münster, 48143 Münster, Germany.
| | - Andrea Krott
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
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10
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Non-linguistic effects of language switching training. Cognition 2019; 182:14-24. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2018.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2017] [Revised: 08/30/2018] [Accepted: 09/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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11
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Ecological Validity in Bilingualism Research and the Bilingual Advantage. Trends Cogn Sci 2018; 22:1117-1126. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2018.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2018] [Revised: 09/28/2018] [Accepted: 10/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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12
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Hernandez AE, Claussenius-Kalman HL, Ronderos J, Vaughn KA. Symbiosis, Parasitism and Bilingual Cognitive Control: A Neuroemergentist Perspective. Front Psychol 2018; 9:2171. [PMID: 30510528 PMCID: PMC6252328 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2018] [Accepted: 10/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Interest in the intersection between bilingualism and cognitive control and accessibility to neuroimaging methods has resulted in numerous studies with a variety of interpretations of the bilingual cognitive advantage. Neurocomputational Emergentism (or Neuroemergentism for short) is a new framework for understanding this relationship between bilingualism and cognitive control. This framework considers Emergence, in which two small elements are recombined in an interactive manner, yielding a non-linear effect. Added to this is the notion that Emergence can be captured in neural systems using computationally inspired models. This review poses that bilingualism and cognitive control, as examined through the Neuroemergentist framework, are interwoven through development and involve the non-linear growth of cognitive processing encompassing brain areas that combine and recombine, in symbiotic and parasitic ways, in order to handle more complex types of processing. The models that have sought to explain the neural substrates of bilingual cognitive differences will be discussed with a reinterpretation of the entire bilingual cognitive advantage within a Neuroemergentist framework incorporating its neural bases. It will conclude by discussing how this new Neuroemergentist approach alters our view of the effects of language experience on cognitive control. Avenues to move beyond the simple notion of a bilingual advantage or lack thereof will be proposed.
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13
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Oschwald J, Schättin A, von Bastian CC, Souza AS. Bidialectalism and Bilingualism: Exploring the Role of Language Similarity as a Link Between Linguistic Ability and Executive Control. Front Psychol 2018; 9:1997. [PMID: 30405487 PMCID: PMC6206588 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2018] [Accepted: 09/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The notion of bilingual advantages in executive functions (EF) is based on the assumption that the demands posed by cross-language interference serve as EF training. These training effects should be more pronounced the more cross-language interference bilinguals have to overcome when managing their two languages. In the present study, we investigated the proposed link between linguistic and EF performance using the similarity between the two languages spoken since childhood as a proxy for different levels of cross-language interference. We assessed the effect of linearly increasing language dissimilarity on linguistic and EF performance in multiple tasks in four groups of young adults (aged 18-33): German monolinguals (n = 24), bidialectals (n = 25; German and Swiss German dialect), bilinguals speaking two languages of the same Indo-European ancestry (n = 24; e.g., German-English), or bilinguals speaking two languages of different ancestry (n = 24; e.g., German-Turkish). Bayesian linear-mixed effects modeling revealed substantial evidence for a linear effect of language similarity on linguistic accuracy, with better performance for participants with more similar languages and monolinguals. However, we did not obtain evidence for the presence of a similarity effect on EF performance. Furthermore, language experience did not modulate EF performance, even when testing the effect of continuous indicators of bilingualism (e.g., age of acquisition, proficiency, daily foreign language usage). These findings question the theoretical assumption that life-long experience in managing cross-language interference serves as EF training.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Oschwald
- University Research Priority Program “Dynamics of Healthy Aging”, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alisa Schättin
- Cognitive Psychology Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Alessandra S. Souza
- University Research Priority Program “Dynamics of Healthy Aging”, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Cognitive Psychology Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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14
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Calabria M, Costa A, Green DW, Abutalebi J. Neural basis of bilingual language control. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2018; 1426:221-235. [PMID: 29917244 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.13879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2018] [Revised: 05/15/2018] [Accepted: 05/22/2018] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Acquiring and speaking a second language increases demand on the processes of language control for bilingual as compared to monolingual speakers. Language control for bilingual speakers involves the ability to keep the two languages separated to avoid interference and to select one language or the other in a given conversational context. This ability is what we refer with the term "bilingual language control" (BLC). It is now well established that the architecture of this complex system of language control encompasses brain networks involving cortical and subcortical structures, each responsible for different cognitive processes such as goal maintenance, conflict monitoring, interference suppression, and selective response inhibition. Furthermore, advances have been made in determining the overlap between the BLC and the nonlinguistic executive control networks, under the hypothesis that the BLC processes are just an instantiation of a more domain-general control system. Here, we review the current knowledge about the neural basis of these control systems. Results from brain imaging studies of healthy adults and on the performance of bilingual individuals with brain damage are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Calabria
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Albert Costa
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain
- Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
| | - David W Green
- Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - Jubin Abutalebi
- Centre for Neurolinguistics and Psycholinguistics, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
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15
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Xie Z. The Influence of Second Language (L2) Proficiency on Cognitive Control Among Young Adult Unbalanced Chinese-English Bilinguals. Front Psychol 2018; 9:412. [PMID: 29636719 PMCID: PMC5881354 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2017] [Accepted: 03/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The current study investigates the influence of L2 proficiency on cognitive control among three matched groups of unbalanced Chinese-English bilinguals. Flanker task was administered to measure conflict monitoring and inhibition, and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) to measure mental set shifting. ANOVA analyses of the Flanker results showed no differences in inhibition across all groups and no interaction between group and condition. However, the Flanker results showed faster performance for the highest L2 proficiency group relative to the lowest L2 proficiency group in all conditions (incongruent, neutral, and congruent), which reflects better ability of conflict monitoring. Finally, ANOVA analyses of the WCST results showed no differences across all groups. These results altogether suggest that L2 proficiency has significant influence on cognitive control, but only in conflict monitoring, not in inhibition or mental set shifting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhilong Xie
- Foreign Languages College, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, China
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16
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Hartanto A, Toh WX, Yang H. Bilingualism Narrows Socioeconomic Disparities in Executive Functions and Self-Regulatory Behaviors During Early Childhood: Evidence From the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study. Child Dev 2018; 90:1215-1235. [PMID: 29318589 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Socioeconomic status (SES) and bilingualism have been shown to influence executive functioning during early childhood. Less is known, however, about how the two factors interact within an individual. By analyzing a nationally representative sample of approximately 18,200 children who were tracked from ages 5 to 7 across four waves, both higher SES and bilingualism were found to account for greater performance on the inhibition and shifting aspects of executive functions (EF) and self-regulatory behaviors in classroom. However, only SES reliably predicted verbal working memory. Furthermore, bilingualism moderated the effects of SES by ameliorating the detrimental consequences of low-SES on EF and self-regulatory behaviors. These findings underscore bilingualism's power to enrich executive functioning and self-regulatory behaviors, especially among underprivileged children.
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17
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Hartanto A, Yang H, Yang S. Bilingualism positively predicts mathematical competence: Evidence from two large-scale studies. LEARNING AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lindif.2017.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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18
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Stasenko A, Matt GE, Gollan TH. A relative bilingual advantage in switching with preparation: Nuanced explorations of the proposed association between bilingualism and task switching. J Exp Psychol Gen 2017; 146:1527-1550. [PMID: 28714710 PMCID: PMC5668152 DOI: 10.1037/xge0000340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Bilingual language switching may increase general switching efficiency, but the evidence on this question is mixed. We hypothesized that group differences in switching might be stronger at a long cue-target interval (CTI), which may better tap general switching abilities (Yehene & Meiran, 2007). Eighty Spanish-English bilinguals and 80 monolinguals completed a color-shape switching task, and an analogous language-switching task, varying CTI (short vs. long) in both tasks. With longer preparation time (long CTI), bilinguals exhibited significantly smaller task-switching costs than monolinguals, but only in the first half of trials. Group differences diminished with practice, though practice benefitted RTs on short CTI trials more than long, and bilinguals committed fewer errors with practice especially at short CTI. Groups did not differ in mixing costs; however, across CTIs and tasks, bilinguals and monolinguals alike, exhibited robust correlations between mixing costs, but not between switching costs. These results confirm an association between bilingualism and switching efficiency that may be magnified with manipulations that target general switching ability (or could reflect better ability to take advantage of preparation time). However, practice effects observed within experimental paradigms, and between task correlations in costs, may reflect cognitive mechanisms specific to laboratory tasks much more than associations with general switching ability and executive control mechanisms-for which more reliable and valid measures can hopefully be developed in future work. (PsycINFO Database Record
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Affiliation(s)
- Alena Stasenko
- San Diego State University/University of California, San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology
| | - Georg E. Matt
- San Diego State University/University of California, San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology
- Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA
| | - Tamar H. Gollan
- San Diego State University/University of California, San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego
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Abstract
According to some estimates, more than half of the world's population is multilingual to some extent. Because of the centrality of language use to human experience and the deep connections between linguistic and nonlinguistic processing, it would not be surprising to find that there are interactions between bilingualism and cognitive and brain processes. The present review uses the framework of experience-dependent plasticity to evaluate the evidence for systematic modifications of brain and cognitive systems that can be attributed to bilingualism. The review describes studies investigating the relation between bilingualism and cognition in infants and children, younger and older adults, and patients, using both behavioral and neuroimaging methods. Excluded are studies whose outcomes focus primarily on linguistic abilities because of their more peripheral contribution to the central question regarding experience-dependent changes to cognition. Although most of the research discussed in the review reports some relation between bilingualism and cognitive or brain outcomes, several areas of research, notably behavioral studies with young adults, largely fail to show these effects. These discrepancies are discussed and considered in terms of methodological and conceptual issues. The final section proposes an account based on "executive attention" to explain the range of research findings and to set out an agenda for the next steps in this field. (PsycINFO Database Record
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Dong Y, Liu Y. Classes in Translating and Interpreting Produce Differential Gains in Switching and Updating. Front Psychol 2016; 7:1297. [PMID: 27625620 PMCID: PMC5003826 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2016] [Accepted: 08/12/2016] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The present longitudinal study was intended to investigate whether the two bilingual experiences of written translation and consecutive interpreting (featured with similar language switching experience but different processing demands) would produce different cognitive control effects in young adults. Three groups of Chinese-English young adult bilinguals, who differed mainly in their half-year long bilingual experience: one for general L2 training, one for written translation and one for oral consecutive interpreting, were tested twice on the number Stroop, switching color-shape and N-back tasks. The results show that the interpreting experience produced significant cognitive advantages in switching (switch cost) and updating, while the translating experience produced marginally significant improvements in updating. The findings indicate that the experience of language switching under higher processing demands brings more domain-general advantages, suggesting that processing demand may be a decisive factor for the presence or absence of the hot-debated bilingual advantages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanping Dong
- Bilingual Cognition and Development Lab/Center of Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, Guangdong University of Foreign StudiesGuangzhou, China
| | - Yuhua Liu
- College of Foreign Studies, South China Agricultural UniversityGuangzhou, China
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