What causes the bilingual disadvantage in verbal fluency? The dual-task analogy

2010 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 231-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
TIFFANY C. SANDOVAL ◽  
TAMAR H. GOLLAN ◽  
VICTOR S. FERREIRA ◽  
DAVID P. SALMON
Keyword(s):  
Dual Task ◽  
Verbal Fluency ◽  
Language Production ◽  
Response Times ◽  
Language Fluency ◽  
Dominant Language ◽  
Task Effects ◽  
First Response ◽  
Intrusion Errors ◽  
Cross Language

We investigated the consequences of bilingualism for verbal fluency by comparing bilinguals to monolinguals, and dominant versus non-dominant-language fluency. In Experiment 1, bilinguals produced fewer correct responses, slower first response times and proportionally delayed retrieval, relative to monolinguals. In Experiment 2, similar results were obtained comparing the dominant to the non-dominant languages within bilinguals. Additionally, bilinguals produced significantly lower-frequency words and a greater proportion of cognate responses than monolinguals, and bilinguals produced more cross-language intrusion errors when speaking the non-dominant language, but almost no such intrusions when speaking the dominant language. These results support an analogy between bilingualism and dual-task effects (Rohrer et al., 1995), implying a role for between-language interference in explaining the bilingual fluency disadvantage, and suggest that bilingual fluency will be maximized under testing conditions that minimize such interference. More generally, the findings suggest a role for selection by competition in language production, and that such competition is more influential in relatively unconstrained production tasks.

scholarly journals Performance on verbal fluency tasks depends on the given category/letter: Preliminary data from a multivariable analysis

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petar Gabrić ◽  
Mija Vandek
Keyword(s):  
Verbal Fluency ◽  
Response Times ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Multivariable Analysis ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Corpus Analysis ◽  
Response Latencies ◽  
Specific Effects ◽  
First Response ◽  
The Given

Verbal fluency tasks are often used in neuropsychological research and may have predictive and diagnostic utility in psychiatry and neurology. However, researchers using verbal fluency have uncritically assumed that there are no category- or phoneme-specific effects on verbal fluency performance. We recruited 16 young adult subjects and administered two semantic (animals, trees) and phonemic (K, M) fluency tasks. Because of the small sample size, results should be regarded as preliminary. On the animal compared to the tree task, subjects produced significantly more legal words, had a significantly lower intrusion rate, significantly shorter first-response latencies and final silence periods, as well as significantly shorter between-cluster response latencies. These differences may be explained by differences in the category sizes, integrity of the categories' borders, and efficiency of the functional connectivity between subcategories. On the K compared to the M task, subjects produced significantly more legal words and had significantly shorter between-cluster response times. Counterintuitively, a corpus analysis revealed there are more words starting with m compared to k in the experimental language. Our results have important implications for research utilizing verbal fluency, including decreased reproducibility, unreliability of diagnostic and predictive tools based on verbal fluency, and decreased knowledge accumulation.

scholarly journals EXPRESS: Attention in Post-Lexical Processes of Utterance Production: Dual-Task Cost in Younger and Older Adults

2021 ◽  
pp. 174702182110341
Author(s):  
Maryll Fournet ◽  
Michaela Pernon ◽  
Sabina Catalano Chiuvé ◽  
Ursula Lopez ◽  
Marina Laganaro
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Verbal Fluency ◽  
Verbal Task ◽  
Lexical Selection ◽  
Speech Task ◽  
Verbal Fluency Task ◽  
Dual Task Cost ◽  
Lexical Processes ◽  
Fluency Task

There is a general agreement that speaking requires attention at least for conceptual and lexical processes of utterance production. However, conflicting results have been obtained with dual-task paradigms using either repetition tasks or more generally tasks involving limited loading of lexical selection. This study aimed to investigate whether post-lexical processes recruit attentional resources. We used a new dual-task paradigm in a set of experiments where a continuous verbal production task involved either high or low demand on lexical selection processes. Experiment 1 evaluates lexical and post-lexical processes with a semantic verbal fluency task, whereas experiments 2 and 3 focus on post-lexical processes with a non-propositional speech task. In each experiment, two types of non-verbal secondary tasks were used: processing speed (simple manual reaction times) or inhibition (Go/No-go). In Experiment 1, a dual-task cost was observed on the semantic verbal fluency task and each non-verbal task. In Experiment 2, a dual-task cost appeared on the non-verbal tasks but not on the speech task. The same paradigm was used with older adults (Experiment 3), as increased effort in post-lexical processes has been associated with ageing. For older adults, a dual-task cost was also observed on the non-propositional verbal task when speech was produced with the inhibition non-verbal task. The results suggest an attentional cost on post-lexical processes and strategic effects in the resolution of the dual-task.

scholarly journals Spatio-temporal gait parameters obtained from foot-worn inertial sensors are reliable in healthy adults in single- and dual-task conditions

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Soulard ◽  
J. Vaillant ◽  
R. Balaguier ◽  
N. Vuillerme
Keyword(s):  
Dual Task ◽  
Inertial Sensors ◽  
Healthy Adults ◽  
Gait Symmetry ◽  
Symmetry Index ◽  
Task Effects ◽  
Gait Parameters ◽  
Task Conditions ◽  
Healthy Participants ◽  
Absolute Reliability

AbstractInertial measurement units (IMUs) are increasingly popular and may be usable in clinical routine to assess gait. However, assessing their intra-session reliability is crucial and has not been tested with foot-worn sensors in healthy participants. The aim of this study was to assess the intra-session reliability of foot-worn IMUs for measuring gait parameters in healthy adults. Twenty healthy participants were enrolled in the study and performed the 10-m walk test in single- and dual-task ('carrying a full cup of water') conditions, three trials per condition. IMUs were used to assess spatiotemporal gait parameters, gait symmetry parameters (symmetry index (SI) and symmetry ratio (SR)), and dual task effects parameters. The relative and the absolute reliability were calculated for each gait parameter. Results showed that spatiotemporal gait parameters measured with foot-worn inertial sensors were reliable; symmetry gait parameters relative reliability was low, and SR showed better absolute reliability than SI; dual task effects were poorly reliable, and taking the mean of the second and the third trials was the most reliable. Foot-worn IMUs are reliable to assess spatiotemporal and symmetry ratio gait parameters but symmetry index and DTE gait parameters reliabilities were low and need to be interpreted with cautious by clinicians and researchers.

scholarly journals EXPRESS: Trajectories of verbal fluency and executive functions in multilingual and monolingual children and adults: A cross-sectional study

2021 ◽  
pp. 174702182110267
Author(s):  
Roberto Filippi ◽  
Andrea Ceccolini ◽  
Peter Bright
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Verbal Fluency ◽  
Fluid Intelligence ◽  
Response Times ◽  
Developmental Trajectories ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Human Cognition ◽  
Lexical Retrieval ◽  
Cross Sectional

The development of verbal fluency is associated with the maturation of executive function skills, such as the ability to inhibit irrelevant information, shift between tasks and hold information in working memory. Some evidence suggests that multilinguistic upbringing may underpin disadvantages in verbal fluency and lexical retrieval, but can also afford executive function advantages beyond the language system including possible beneficial effects in older age. This study examined the relationship between verbal fluency and executive function in 324 individuals across the lifespan by assessing the developmental trajectories of English monolingual and multilingual children aged 7 to 15 years (N=154) and adults from 18 to 80 years old (N=170). The childhood data indicated patterns of improvement in verbal fluency and executive function skills as a function of age. Multilingual and monolingual children had comparable developmental trajectories in all linguistic and non-linguistic measures used in the study with the exception of planning, for which monolingual children showed a steeper improvement over the studied age range relative to multilingual children. For adults, monolinguals and multilingual participants had comparable performance on all measures with the exception of non-verbal inhibitory control and response times on the Tower of London task: monolinguals showed a steeper decline associated with age. Exploratory factor analysis indicated that verbal fluency was associated with working memory and fluid intelligence in monolingual participants but not in multilinguals. These findings raise the possibility that early acquisition of an additional language may impact on the development of the functional architecture serving high-level human cognition.

scholarly journals Evidence for a bimodal bilingual disadvantage in letter fluency

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARCEL R. GIEZEN ◽  
KAREN EMMOREY
Keyword(s):  
Verbal Fluency ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Early Age ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Dominant Language ◽  
Frequency Of Use ◽  
Fluency Task

Many bimodal bilinguals are immersed in a spoken language-dominant environment from an early age and, unlike unimodal bilinguals, do not necessarily divide their language use between languages. Nonetheless, early ASL–English bilinguals retrieved fewer words in a letter fluency task in their dominant language compared to monolingual English speakers with equal vocabulary level. This finding demonstrates that reduced vocabulary size and/or frequency of use cannot completely account for bilingual disadvantages in verbal fluency. Instead, retrieval difficulties likely reflect between-language interference. Furthermore, it suggests that the two languages of bilinguals compete for selection even when they are expressed with distinct articulators.

Telephone Conversations Affect the Executive but not the Alerting or Orienting Network

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melina Kunar ◽  
Derrick Watson ◽  
Rhiannon Richards ◽  
Daniel Gunnell
Keyword(s):  
Visual Attention ◽  
Selective Attention ◽  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Response Times ◽  
Amount Of Information ◽  
Attentional Networks ◽  
Attention Tasks ◽  
Conflict Effect ◽  
The Individual

Previous work has shown that talking on a mobile phone leads to an impairment of visual attention. Gunnell et al. (2020) investigated the locus of these dual-task impairments and found that although phone conversations led to cognitive delays in response times, other mechanisms underlying particular selective attention tasks were unaffected. Here we investigated which attentional networks, if any, were impaired by having a phone conversation. We used the Attentional Network Task (ANT) to evaluate performance of the alerting, orienting and executive attentional networks, both in conditions where people were engaged in a conversation and where they were silent. Two experiments showed that there was a robust delay in response across all three networks. However, at the individual network level, holding a conversation did not influence the size of the alerting or orienting effects but it did reduce the size of the conflict effect within the executive network. The findings suggest that holding a conversation can reduce the overall speed of responding and, via its influence on the executive network, can reduce the amount of information that can be processed from the environment.

scholarly journals Effects of dual task demanding manual dexterity and sit-to-stand in Parkinson disease individuals

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-148
Author(s):  
Tatiana B. Freitas ◽  
José Eduardo Pompeu ◽  
Briana R. B. Moraes ◽  
Sandra M. A. A. Pompeu ◽  
Keyte G. Silva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dual Task ◽  
Verbal Fluency ◽  
Manual Dexterity ◽  
Dual Tasks ◽  
Verbal Fluency Task ◽  
Sit To Stand ◽  
Yahr Scale ◽  
Task Conditions ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Fluency Task

BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD) causes loss of automaticity and impairment in dual task (DT) performance. AIM: To investigate the performance and pattern of prioritization of individuals with PD in motor and cognitive DT. METHOD: An observational, transversal, comparative study assessed 20 individuals with PD between stages 1.5 to 3 of the modified Hoehn and Yahr scale. Performance was assessed during the execution of manual dexterity and sit-to-stand tasks, in a single task or in association with a verbal fluency task. RESULTS: There was a loss of performance in both dual task conditions. The cost of verbal fluency was higher than the cost of manual dexterity function. CONCLUSION: Individuals with PD showed worse DT performance and prioritized the manual dexterity task. There was no prioritization between sit-to-stand and verbal fluency. These findings suggest that the nature of tasks can influence the prioritization of dual tasks.

Dual task effects of walking when talking in Alzheimer's disease

2004 ◽  
Vol 160 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Cocchini ◽  
S. Della Sala ◽  
R.H. Logie ◽  
R. Pagani ◽  
L. Sacco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Task Effects

scholarly journals Effects of cognitive and motor dual-tasks on oropharyngeal swallowing assessed with FEES in healthy individuals

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Muhle ◽  
Inga Claus ◽  
Bendix Labeit ◽  
Mao Ogawa ◽  
Rainer Dziewas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dual Task ◽  
Neurological Diseases ◽  
Early Screening ◽  
Task Interference ◽  
Dual Task Condition ◽  
Therapeutic Implications ◽  
Task Effects ◽  
Post Hoc ◽  
Management Of Dysphagia ◽  
Dual Task Interference

AbstractDysphagia is frequent in many neurological diseases and gives rise to severe complications such as malnutrition, dehydration and aspiration pneumonia. Therefore, early detection and management of dysphagia is essential and can reduce mortality. This study investigated the effect of cognitive and motor dual-task interference on swallowing in healthy participants, as dual-task effects are reported for other motor tasks such as gait and speech. 27 participants (17 females; 29.2 ± 4.1 years) were included in this prospective study and examined using flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES). Using a previously established FEES-based score, the paradigms “baseline swallowing”, “cognitive dual-task” and “motor dual-task” were assessed. Scores of the three paradigms were compared using a repetitive measures ANOVA and post-hoc analysis. Mean baseline swallowing score in single task was 5 ± 3. It worsened to 6 ± 5 in the cognitive (p = 0.118), and to 8 ± 5 in the motor dual-task condition (p < 0.001). This change was driven by subclinical worsening of premature bolus spillage and pharyngeal residue. Oropharyngeal swallowing is not exclusively reflexive in nature but requires attention, which leads to motor dual-task interference. This has potential diagnostic and therapeutic implications, e.g. in the early screening for dysphagia or in avoiding dual-task situations while eating.

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