Individual differences in language proficiency shape the neural plasticity of language control in bilingual language production

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 ◽  
pp. 100887 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mo Chen ◽  
Fengyang Ma ◽  
Junjie Wu ◽  
Shuhua Li ◽  
Zhaoqi Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Neural Plasticity ◽  
Language Production ◽  
Language Control

scholarly journals Individual level reliability of PAS-induced neural plasticity

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yeun Kim ◽  
Jacqueline P. Ngo ◽  
Choi Deblieck ◽  
Dylan J. Edwards ◽  
Bruce Dobkin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Neural Plasticity ◽  
Motor Evoked Potentials ◽  
Recovery Of Function ◽  
Group Analysis ◽  
Base Line ◽  
List Type ◽  
Paired Associative Stimulation ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Minimum Number

AbstractObjectiveWe assessed the individual level reliability of neural plasticity changes induced by paired associative stimulation (PAS), which combines peripheral nerve stimulation with transcranial magnetic stimulation to induce short-term plastic changes in the brain.MethodsFor 5 consecutive weeks, motor evoked potentials (MEPs) of 8 healthy subjects were acquired every 10 minutes post-PAS intervention for a period of 60 minutes. The post-PAS MEPs were evaluated against base-line MEPs using permutation and Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests to determine whether the MEP magnitudes changed after PAS. Moreover, various sample sizes of the MEP data were used to deduce the minimum number of MEPs needed to reliably detect individual propensity to neural plasticity.ResultsGroup analysis exhibited significant increase in post-PAS MEPs, confirming previous results. While high between-sessions variability was observed at individual level, data show that between 40 to 50 MEPs can reliably assess each subject’s responsiveness to PAS. Subjects exhibited three different plasticity patterns: in the modulated hemisphere only, both hemispheres, or neither hemisphere.ConclusionsPAS can reliably assess individual differences in neural plasticity.SignificanceA marker of individual plasticity may be useful to predict the effects of a motor rehabilitation, drug or other intervention to increase recovery of function after brain injury.HighlightsPaired associative stimulation (PAS) assesses neural plasticity non invasively.The study shows how PAS can reliably determine individual differences in plasticity.PAS may be used to predict intervention outcome or individualize treatment dose.

scholarly journals Not All Bilinguals Are the Same: A Call for More Detailed Assessments and Descriptions of Bilingual Experiences

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela de Bruin
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Individual Variation ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Age Of Acquisition ◽  
Objective Measurements

No two bilinguals are the same. Differences in bilingual experiences can affect language-related processes but have also been proposed to modulate executive functioning. Recently, there has been an increased interest in studying individual differences between bilinguals, for example in terms of their age of acquisition, language proficiency, use, and switching. However, and despite the importance of this individual variation, studies often do not provide detailed assessments of their bilingual participants. This review first discusses several aspects of bilingualism that have been studied in relation to executive functioning. Next, I review different questionnaires and objective measurements that have been proposed to better define bilingual experiences. In order to better understand (effects of) bilingualism within and across studies, it is crucial to carefully examine and describe not only a bilingual’s proficiency and age of acquisition, but also their language use and switching as well as the different interactional contexts in which they use their languages.

Conversational asymmetry between mothers and children

1981 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth Kaye ◽  
Rosalind Charney
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Social Class ◽  
Language Comprehension ◽  
Language Production ◽  
The Other ◽  
Cognitive Measures ◽  
Class Differences ◽  
Puzzle Solving ◽  
Mothers And Children ◽  
Negative Effect

ABSTRACTTURNABOUTS, which both respond to and require a response from the other (either verbal or nonverbal), were produced more than twice as often by mothers as by their children at 2; 2 and 2; 6, in videotaped dialogues during semi-structured play. The 27 mothers showed stable individual differences in this aspect of their turn-taking, across situations and across time. Children tended to take a reciprocal role rather than an imitative one within the immediate situation: if a mother produced many mands, her child produced few. At 2; 10 the children were tested for language comprehension, puzzle-solving and conversational engagement with an investigator. Mothers' mands at the earlier ages appeared to have a negative effect upon these measures, even when social class differences were controlled; but causal interpretations were complicated by the fact that language production measures also predicted the 2; 10 cognitive measures.

scholarly journals Language control abilities of late bilinguals

2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 580-593 ◽  
Author(s):  
JULIA FESTMAN
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Verbal Fluency ◽  
Picture Naming ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Naming Task ◽  
The Other ◽  
Language Performance ◽  
Language Control ◽  
Cross Language ◽  
Late Bilinguals

Although all bilinguals encounter cross-language interference (CLI), some bilinguals are more susceptible to interference than others. Here, we report on language performance of late bilinguals (Russian/German) on two bilingual tasks (interview, verbal fluency), their language use and switching habits. The only between-group difference was CLI: one group consistently produced significantly more errors of CLI on both tasks than the other (thereby replicating our findings from a bilingual picture naming task). This striking group difference in language control ability can only be explained by differences in cognitive control, not in language proficiency or language mode.

Pauses and hesitation phenomena in second language production

2000 ◽  
Vol 127-128 ◽  
pp. 53-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jasone Cenoz
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Individual Variation ◽  
Language Production ◽  
Filled Pauses ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Hesitation Phenomena

Abstract This article focuses on the study of pauses in second language production by analysing the frequency of silent and filled pauses and their functions. It also examines the combination of pauses and other hesitation phenomena in second language production and it explores the relationship between pauses and language proficiency. The results confirm that pauses and hesitations are frequent phenomena in second language production and the individual variation in their occurrence. It was also found that pauses are often associated with other hesitation phenomena and that filled and silent pauses can have the same functions.

Modellen en Metingen Van Taalvaardigheid

1998 ◽  
Vol 58 ◽  
pp. 169-178
Author(s):  
Kees de Glopper ◽  
Anne-Mieke Janssen-van Dieten
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Language Production ◽  
Written Language ◽  
Language Ability ◽  
General Definition ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Reading Models

This article contains a concise discussion of models and measurement of language ability. A general definition of the concept language ability is given, Subsequendy, psycholinguistic models of oral and written language production and comprehension are discussed. The nature and extent of individual differences in language ability are illustrated by means of a discussion of LI reading. Models of language ability are reviewed and areas in need of further research are identified. In conclusion, some tentative answers to pertinent questions on components, development and transfer of language ability are presented.

scholarly journals Turkish-Dutch bilinguals maintain language-specific reference tracking strategies in elicited narratives

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 376-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeynep Azar ◽  
Aslı Özyürek ◽  
Ad Backus
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Language Contact ◽  
Language Production ◽  
Specific Reference ◽  
Heritage Speakers ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
Reference Tracking ◽  
Null Pronouns ◽  
Overt Pronouns

Aim: This paper examines whether second-generation Turkish heritage speakers in the Netherlands follow language-specific patterns of reference tracking in Turkish and Dutch, focusing on discourse status and pragmatic contexts as factors that may modulate the choice of referring expressions (REs), that is, the noun phrase (NP), overt pronoun and null pronoun. Methodology: Two short silent videos were used to elicit narratives from 20 heritage speakers of Turkish, both in Turkish and in Dutch. Monolingual baseline data were collected from 20 monolingually raised speakers of Turkish in Turkey and 20 monolingually raised speakers of Dutch in the Netherlands. We also collected language background data from bilinguals with an extensive survey. Data and analysis: Using generalised logistic mixed-effect regression, we analysed the influence of discourse status and pragmatic context on the choice of subject REs in Turkish and Dutch, comparing bilingual data to the monolingual baseline in each language. Findings: Heritage speakers used overt versus null pronouns in Turkish and stressed versus reduced pronouns in Dutch in pragmatically appropriate contexts. There was, however, a slight increase in the proportions of overt pronouns as opposed to NPs in Turkish and as opposed to null pronouns in Dutch. We suggest an explanation based on the degree of entrenchment of differential RE types in relation to discourse status as the possible source of the increase. Originality: This paper provides data from an understudied language pair in the domain of reference tracking in language contact situations. Unlike several studies of pronouns in language contact, we do not find differences across monolingual and bilingual speakers with regard to pragmatic constraints on overt pronouns in the minority pro-drop language. Significance: Our findings highlight the importance of taking language proficiency and use into account while studying bilingualism and combining formal approaches to language use with usage-based approaches for a more complete understanding of bilingual language production.

scholarly journals Research on individual differences in executive functions

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 535-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naomi P. Friedman
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
General Purpose ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Set Shifting ◽  
Interference Control ◽  
Bilingual Advantage ◽  
Language Control ◽  
Multicomponent Nature

Abstract Executive functions (EFs), such as response inhibition, interference control, and set shifting, are general-purpose control mechanisms that enable individuals to regulate their thoughts and behaviors. Because bilingual individuals use EF-like processes during language control, researchers have become interested in the hypothesis that this use might train EFs, resulting in better performance on non-linguistic EF tasks. Although this bilingual advantage hypothesis seems straightforward to test, it involves a number of important decisions in terms of how to assess bilingualism and EFs. In this article, I focus on the complexity of measuring EFs, drawing on individual differences research (conducted with participants not selected for bilingualism). Specifically, I discuss issues related to (1) the measurement of EFs (particularly the effects of task impurity and unreliability) and (2) the multicomponent nature of EFs. Within each of these topics, I elaborate on consequences for research on bilingual advantages and provide some recommendations.

scholarly journals Characterizing the social diversity of bilingualism using language entropy

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 283-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason W. Gullifer ◽  
Debra Titone
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Social Diversity ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
Language History ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
The Social ◽  
And Control

AbstractBilingual and multilingual individuals exhibit variation in everyday language experience. Studies on bilingualism account for individual differences with measures such as L2 age of acquisition, exposure, or language proficiency, but recent theoretical perspectives posit that the relative balance between the two or more languages throughout daily life (i.e., interactional context) is a crucial determinant for language representation, access, and control. We propose an innovative measure to characterize this construct by using entropy to estimate the social diversity of language use. Language entropy is computed from commonly-collected language history data and generalizes to multilingual communicative contexts. We show how language entropy relates to other indices of bilingual experience and that it predicts self-report L2 outcome measures over and above classic measures of language experience. Thus, we proffer language entropy as a means to characterize individual differences in bilingual (and multilingual) language experience related to the social diversity of language use.

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