Executive control in fluent and lapsed bilinguals

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 561-567 ◽  
Author(s):  
CARI ANNE BOGULSKI ◽  
MICHAEL RAKOCZY ◽  
MICHELLE GOODMAN ◽  
ELLEN BIALYSTOK
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Control ◽  
Flanker Task ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
The Other ◽  
Bilingual Advantage ◽  
Accurate Performance ◽  
High Level

Previous research showing a bilingual advantage on a variety of executive control tasks has typically compared monolinguals and fluent bilinguals. No study to date, however, has examined whether these effects endure for bilingual individuals who revert to monolingualism (‘lapsed bilinguals’). We investigated this question by testing monolinguals, full bilinguals, and lapsed bilinguals on a flanker task and a working memory task. Fully fluent bilinguals exhibited significantly more accurate performance than monolinguals on the working memory task, with lapsed bilinguals performing between the other two groups. Thus, continued bilingual experience appears necessary to maintain these cognitive advantages at a high level.

Executive control processes in verbal and nonverbal working memory

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 147-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margot D. Sullivan ◽  
Yolanda Prescott ◽  
Devora Goldberg ◽  
Ellen Bialystok
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Proactive Interference ◽  
Executive Control ◽  
Flanker Task ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Counting Task ◽  
Control Processes

Abstract Studies across the lifespan have revealed modifications in executive control (EC) from bilingualism, but studies of working memory (WM), a key aspect of EC, have produced varied results. Healthy older (M = 71.0 years) and younger participants (M = 21.1 years) who were monolingual or bilingual, performed working memory tasks that varied in their demands for EC. Tasks included a star counting task, a flanker task, and a nonverbal recent probe memory task. Bilinguals performed similarly to monolinguals on the star counting task after controlling for differences in vocabulary. Monolinguals were faster than bilinguals on the flanker task with only age group differences significant for the WM manipulation. Bilinguals were faster than monolinguals on the nonverbal recent probe memory task, particularly for the condition that included proactive interference. The interpretation is that better bilingual performance in nonverbal working memory tasks is linked to the need for executive control.

Working memory demand of a task modulates bilingual advantage in executive functions

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lu Jiao ◽  
Cong Liu ◽  
Ruiming Wang ◽  
Baoguo Chen
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Flanker Task ◽  
Interference Suppression ◽  
Memory Processing ◽  
Bilingual Advantage ◽  
Processing Demand ◽  
Memory Experiment ◽  
Storage Demand

Aims: The present study aimed to investigate the effect of task demand in working memory on bilingual cognitive advantage (interference suppression and response inhibition) in young bilinguals. Methodology: Experiment 1 was performed with the flanker, Go/No-go, and modified flanker tasks, in which the first two tasks were involved in lower storage demand of working memory and the last task was involved in higher storage demand of working memory. Experiment 2 was performed with the Conditional-Go/No-go task, with a higher processing demand of working memory. Data and analysis: Reaction time and accuracy data were analyzed using a repeated measures analysis of variance. Findings/Conclusions: In Experiment 1, results showed that compared to monolinguals, the bilingual advantage in interference suppression occurred in the task with high storage demand (i.e., modified flanker task) and not in the low demand task (i.e., flanker task); however, this advantage effect was not observed in response inhibition. In Experiment 2, with the increasing working memory processing demand of tasks, the bilingual advantage in response inhibition was observed. Originality: The current study firstly examined the effect of task working memory demand on the bilingual advantage and provided some restrictive conditions for the advantage. Significance/Implications: Our results provide new evidence to support the effect of bilingual cognitive advantage.

scholarly journals Novel-word learning, executive control and working memory: A bilingual advantage

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (04) ◽  
pp. 763-782 ◽  
Author(s):  
MEESHA A. WARMINGTON ◽  
SWATHI KANDRU-POTHINENI ◽  
GRAHAM J. HITCH
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Word Learning ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Executive Control ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
Bilingual Advantage ◽  
Independent Replication ◽  
Novel Word Learning ◽  
Almost All

Studies of the effects of bilingualism on cognition have given results that do not consistently replicate, reflecting at least in part wide differences in criteria for bilingualism and heterogeneity of language combinations within studied samples. We examined the bilingual advantage in attention, working memory and novel-word learning in early sequential Hindi–English bilinguals. We sought to clarify the aspects of cognition that benefit from bilingualism by using multiple measures and a sample sufficiently well-defined to permit independent replication. Bilinguals outperformed monolinguals on response inhibition, novel-word learning and almost all working memory tasks. In contrast, both groups performed comparably on selective attention. Analyses of individual differences showed that bilingual novel-word learning was related to their verbal working memory and ability to inhibit an ongoing action, whereas this was not the case for monolinguals. Results indicate a specific bilingual advantage that is confined to some but not all aspects of cognition.

scholarly journals Exploration of Attentional and Executive Abilities in French-Speaking Children Immersed in Dutch Since 1, 2, 3, and 6 Years

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Gillet ◽  
Cristina Anca Barbu ◽  
Martine Poncelet
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
The Other ◽  
School Program ◽  
Immersion Program ◽  
Bilingual Advantage ◽  
Primary Schooling ◽  
French Speaking ◽  
Cognitive Benefits

Advantages in diverse aspects of cognitive functioning have been reported in early bilinguals (Bialystok, 2011) as well as in children frequenting an early bilingual immersion school program (Nicolay and Poncelet, 2015). However, during the last decade, some studies failed to replicate these advantages. Currently, the presence of cognitive benefits in children frequenting an immersion program remains debated. The lack of consistency between the studies could come from the fact that time spent by children within the immersion program is variable from one study to the other and that studies used different tasks to assess the same cognitive function. The main aim of the present study was to determine how time spent in immersion affects the emergence of cognitive advantages along the primary schooling. We compared 196 immersed Dutch-speaking children since they were 5 years old and 195 non-immersed French-speaking children, from different grades of the primary schooling (i.e., at 6, 7, 8, and 12 years old) by using the same attentional and executive tasks as those used in previous studies having shown a bilingual advantage. Furthermore, these groups were matched on a set of variables known to influence cognitive functioning. After 1, 2, and 3 years of enrolment in this program, performances of immersed compared to non-immersed children did not differ for any task. However, after 6 years, immersed children outperformed non-immersed children on the cognitive flexibility and the working memory tasks. These results show that, in French-speaking children immersed in Dutch, cognitive advantages could depend on the length of time spent in immersion since they are not present at the beginning (after 1, 2, and 3 years) but seem to emerge at the end of it (after 6 years). In contrast, in previous studies conducted in English immersion, advantages appear at the beginning of the primary schooling but are absent at the end of it. Furthermore, these results suggest that the emergence of cognitive advantages may vary depending on the second language learned. The results are discussed in terms of linguistic characteristics and status of the languages at stake.

scholarly journals A working memory intervention weakens the reconsolidation of a threat memory and its biases processing towards threat

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soledad Picco ◽  
Luz Bavassi ◽  
Rodrigo S. Fernández ◽  
María E. Pedreira
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Implicit Memory ◽  
Attentional Bias ◽  
Executive Control ◽  
Cognitive Biases ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Behavioral Responses ◽  
Memory Retention ◽  
Experimental Psychopathology ◽  
Control Networks

ABSTRACTBACKGROUNDThreat-conditioning (TC) memory plays a central role in anxiety disorders, but not in a simple way. This memory impacts on complex cognitive systems by modifying behavioral responses with a bias to fearful stimuli and overestimating potential threats. In this study we proposed a global approach analyzing the scope of disrupting TC memory reconsolidation in the implicit memory, the declarative contingency and the cognitive biases.METHODSDay 1: Subjects were trained on TC. Day 2: after Threat-memory reactivation, one group performed a high demanding working memory task (HWM) and the other a low demanding working memory task (LWM). The last group, only performed the HWM task. Day 3: TC memory was tested by an extinction session followed by reinstatement. Finally, all subjects completed tasks targeting stimuli representation, valuation and attentional bias towards threat.RESULTSDisrupting reconsolidation of TC memory with a HWM weakened the implicit memory retention and faded the representation and valuation towards threat but it had no effect on attentional bias. Moreover, we revealed that subjects’ performance during the working memory task was specifically associated in TC memory retention.CONCLUSIONSOur findings reveal a strong impairment of the threat-memory restabilization and associated emotional biases. This may result from the competition between defensive survival and central-executive control networks. Our results fits with Experimental Psychopathology approach, disentangling the relation between the implicit memory, cognitive, valenced systems and the possibility to weaken both the threatening memory and the systems associated with the maintenance of anxiety profile.

scholarly journals El Pensamiento computacional: ¿Una nueva forma de entrenar la memoria de trabajo?

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (63) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduardo Sanabria Zafra ◽  
Noelia Rodríguez Rodríguez ◽  
Andrés Eduardo Zerpa Pérez ◽  
Pedro Prieto Marañón ◽  
María Ángeles Alonso Rodríguez
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Computational Thinking ◽  
The Other ◽  
High Level ◽  
The University

El pensamiento computacional es un concepto reciente que ha cobrado importancia en los últimos años. Se ha encontrado que entrenamientos basados en este concepto, son capaces de producir mejoras en diversas funciones cognitivas. En este trabajo se ha empleado un entrenamiento basado en el pensamiento computacional elaborado por el Aula Cultural de Pensamiento Computacional y la Fundación general de la Universidad de La Laguna. El entrenamiento se aplicó a alumnos de secundaria divididos en dos grupos: un grupo que se basaba en una metodología de aprendizaje guiada y otro basado en una metodología de aprendizaje por descubrimiento. El objetivo es comprobar si el entrenamiento es capaz de producir mejoras en las medidas de memoria de trabajo y si es más beneficioso para los participantes con un nivel de memoria de trabajo alto. Los resultados obtenidos muestran que el entrenamiento, independientemente de la metodología que se aplique es capaz de producir mejoras en las diferentes medidas de memoria trabajo. Así mismo, no se encontró evidencia de que los participantes con un nivel de memoria de trabajo alto se beneficien más del entrenamiento en la mayoría de las pruebas, pero si se encontró un beneficio mayor de estos en la prueba de figuras abstractas. Computational thinking is a new concept wich has been adquiring relevance in the last few years. There are some evidence of trainings based on this new concept improving different cognitive abilities. In this paper, it has been used a training based on computational thinking, designed by “aula cultural de pensamiento computacional” and the general fundation of the University of La Laguna. This training was applied to students of secondary obligatory education who had been divided into two grups: one group recives the training with a methodology based in guide learning and the other group recived the training based on autolearning methodology. The main objective of this paper is to prove that training can improve the measures of working memory and check if the participants who have a high level of working memory take more benefits of the training. The results show that the training based on computational thinking improved the measures of working memory. In addition, there was no evidence of a higher level of benefit of the training in most of the taskes in the participants who have a high working memory level.

scholarly journals The impact of bilingualism on executive functions and working memory in young adults

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eneko Antón ◽  
Manuel Carreiras ◽  
Jon Andoni Duñabeitia
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Domain Specificity ◽  
Bilingual Advantage ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Socio Demographic Factors ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Large Groups ◽  
Matched Samples

AbstractA bilingual advantage in a form of a better performance of bilinguals in tasks tapping into executive function abilities has been reported repeatedly in the literature. However, recent research defends that this advantage does not stem from bilingualism, but from uncontrolled factors or imperfectly matched samples. In this study we explored the potential impact of bilingualism on executive functioning abilities by testing large groups of young adult bilinguals and monolinguals in the tasks that were most extensively used when the advantages were reported. Importantly, the recently identified factors that could be disrupting the between groups comparisons were controlled for, and both groups were matched. We found no differences between groups in their performance. Additional bootstrapping analyses indicated that, when the bilingual advantage appeared, it very often co-occurred with unmatched socio-demographic factors. The evidence presented here indicates that the bilingual advantage might indeed be caused by spurious uncontrolled factors rather than bilingualism per se. Secondly, bilingualism has been argued to potentially affect working memory also. Therefore, we tested the same participants in both a forward and a backward version of a visual and an auditory working memory task. We found no differences between groups in either of the forward versions of the tasks, but bilinguals systematically outperformed monolinguals in the backward conditions. The results are analyzed and interpreted taking into consideration different perspectives in the domain-specificity of the executive functions and working memory.

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