Contributions of bilingualism and public speaking training to cognitive control differences among young adults

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
ZHILONG XIE ◽  
YANPING DONG
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Public Speaking ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Wisconsin Card Sorting Test ◽  
Card Sorting ◽  
Conflict Monitoring ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
Bilingual Advantage ◽  
Stroop Tasks

The Flanker and Number Stroop tasks, and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) were adopted to examine how bilingualism and public speaking training would contribute to cognitive control differences among young adults. Four groups of participants (of similar cultural and language backgrounds) were tested: monolinguals, general bilinguals, L1 public speaking bilinguals, and L2 public speaking bilinguals. Both ANOVA and multiple regression analyses showed that public speaking experience (esp. in L2) significantly contributed to conflict monitoring as tested in the global reaction times in the Flanker and Number Stroop tasks, whereas bilingualism (L2 verbal fluency, to be more specific) significantly contributed to mental set shifting as tested in the WCST. These results suggest that specific aspects of language experience, either in L1 or in L2, may incur enhancement in specific aspects of cognitive control, which has implications for bilingual advantage research.

Second language (L2) proficiency, socioeconomic status (SES), and intelligence (IQ) are significant predictors of cognitive control differences among young adult unbalanced Chinese–English bilinguals

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (04) ◽  
pp. 866-882 ◽  
Author(s):  
ZHILONG XIE ◽  
TERESA SIGNORELLI PISANO
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Young Adult ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Flanker Task ◽  
Incongruent Condition ◽  
Wisconsin Card Sorting Test ◽  
Card Sorting ◽  
Conflict Monitoring ◽  
L2 Proficiency

The current study investigates how second-language (L2) proficiency contributes to cognitive control differences among three groups of unbalanced Chinese–English bilinguals matched for socioeconomic status (SES), intelligence (IQ), education, age, culture, and L1 background. A Flanker task and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) were administered to measure conflict monitoring, inhibition, and mental set shifting. ANOVA analyses revealed faster performance for the High-L2 Group compared to the Low-L2 Group in the congruent, neutral, and incongruent conditions of the Flanker task. However, there were no group differences on the WCST. Multiple step-wise regression analyses showed that L2 proficiency was a predictor for the Flanker task performance in all three conditions, SES in the neutral and the incongruent condition, and IQ in the congruent condition. These results suggest that L2 proficiency, along with SES and IQ, contribute significantly to cognitive control differences in conflict monitoring among young-adult bilinguals.

EXPRESS: Differential impacts of natural L2 immersion and intensive classroom L2 training on cognitive control

2021 ◽  
pp. 174702182110408
Author(s):  
Xie Zhilong ◽  
Katarina Antolovic
Keyword(s):  
Adaptive Control ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Public Speaking ◽  
Flanker Task ◽  
Wisconsin Card Sorting Test ◽  
Language Immersion ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Card Sorting ◽  
Training Experience ◽  
Control Hypothesis

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 favor 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.

Fast Neural Dynamics of Proactive Cognitive Control in a Task-Switching Analogue of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 407-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gema Díaz-Blancat ◽  
Juan García-Prieto ◽  
Fernando Maestú ◽  
Francisco Barceló
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Task Switching ◽  
Wisconsin Card Sorting Test ◽  
Neural Dynamics ◽  
Card Sorting ◽  
Wisconsin Card Sorting ◽  
Sorting Test

Effect of Bilingualism on Multitasking: A Pilot Study

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 94-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Hsieh
Keyword(s):  
Executive Control ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
Bilingual Advantage ◽  
Bilingual Speakers ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Linguistic Representations ◽  
A Cell ◽  
The Difference

Bilingual speakers rely on attentional and executive control to continuously inhibit or activate linguistic representations of competing languages, which leads to an increased efficiency known as “bilingual advantage”. Both monolingual and bilingual speakers were asked to perform multiple tasks of talking on a cell phone while simultaneously attending to simulated driving events. This study examined the effect of bilingualism on participants' performance during a dual-task experiment based on 20 monolingual and 13 bilingual healthy adults. The within-subject and between-subject comparisons were conducted on reaction times of a visual event detection task for (a) only driving and (b) driving while simultaneously engaged in a phone conversation. Results of this study showed that bilingual speakers performed significantly faster than monolingual speakers during the multitasking condition, but not during the driving only condition. Further, bilingual speakers consistently showed a bilingual advantage in reaction times during the multitasking condition, despite varying degrees on a bilingual dominance scale. Overall, experiences in more than one language yield bilingual advantage in better performance than monolingual speakers during a multitasking condition, but not during a single task condition. Regardless of the difference in bilingual proficiency level, such language experience reveals a positive impact on bilingual speakers for multitasking.

scholarly journals How increased cognitive load affects the dual-task cost in healthy young adults? A randomized, double-blind sham-controlled study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shabnam Behrangrad ◽  
Farshad Mansouri ◽  
Maryam Zoghi ◽  
Shapour Jaberzadeh
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Wisconsin Card Sorting Test ◽  
Cognitive Test ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Card Sorting ◽  
Balance Tests ◽  
Balance Ability ◽  
Wisconsin Card Sorting ◽  
Sorting Test ◽  
Cognitively Demanding Tasks

Our ability to interact flexibly with the surrounding environment and achieve an adaptive goal-directed response is one of the necessities of balance control. This study aimed to examine the interaction between cognitive demand and the necessity for keeping balance in unstable conditions. We examined the effects of performing two cognitive tasks, namely the Stroop test and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), on postural balance in healthy young adults. Stroop and the WCST test assess selective attention and cognitive flexibility in shifting between rules, respectively. Thirty-two healthy adults were included in two experimental conditions (control and treatment) in random order, separated by at least seven days. Standing balance was evaluated by the Sway Medical Mobile application in eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC) in different stance positions: feet apart, feet together, semi-tandem, tandem, and single-leg stance (SLS). Balance was evaluated before and after the cognitive test in each experimental condition. Our findings indicate that performing cognitively demanding tasks adversely affected the balance ability in more demanding balance tests such as the SLS with EC (P ˂ 0.05). However, no significant changes were seen in other balance tests (P ˃ 0.05). Additionally, no significant changes were seen in balance ability after the Stroop or Wisconsin card sorting test alone. These results confirm that performing cognitively demanding tasks significantly reduced the ability to keep balance in less stable conditions. These findings have significant implications in understanding and preventing falls and incidents resulting from an impaired balance in complex and cognitively demanding conditions.

Is There a Cognitive Advantage for Spanish Heritage Bilinguals? A First Look

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 292-309
Author(s):  
Julio Torres ◽  
Cristina Sanz
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Executive Control ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Cognitive Outcomes ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
Bilingual Advantage ◽  
Conflicting Information ◽  
Cognitive Benefits ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Network Component

We report the findings from an ongoing study on the relationship between bilinguals’ language experience and cognitive control. Previous research suggests that early bilingualism exerts an advantage on executive control, possibly due to the cognitive requirements involved in the daily juggling of two languages (Adesope, Lavin, Thompson, & Ungerleider, 2010). However, other researchers also have argued against a cognitive control advantage in bilinguals (Hilchey & Klein, 2011). It remains unclear whether cognitive benefits hold true for bilinguals across different contexts, given differences in sociolinguistic and socioeducational settings that shape individual bilingualism. In the current study, following Costa, Hernández and Sebastián-Gallés (2008) who tested Catalan-Spanish bilinguals, young adult simultaneous heritage bilinguals and late classroom emerging bilinguals of Spanish in the U.S. completed three blocks of the Attentional Network Task (ANT) (Fan, McCandliss, Sommer, Raz, & Posner, 2002) to gauge executive control abilities. Results for the executive network component of the ANT reveal no significant differences between the two bilingual groups, although the descriptive data trend suggests that HL bilinguals experienced less difficulty in solving conflicting information and demonstrated fewer switching costs between trials. These first findings imply that the bilingual advantage is not replicated across contexts, and that socioeducational practices determine individual patterns of language use, which in turn leads to variation in cognitive outcomes.

Influence of the study abroad bilingual experience on cognitive control among young adults

2021 ◽  
pp. 136700692110231
Author(s):  
Zhilong Xie ◽  
Yanping Dong
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
International Education ◽  
Flanker Task ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
Wisconsin Card Sorting Test ◽  
Set Shifting ◽  
Card Sorting ◽  
Mental Set ◽  
Studying Abroad ◽  
The Usa

Aims and objectives/purpose/research questions: This study investigated whether the studying abroad bilingual experience among unevenly balanced Chinese–English bilinguals exerted influence on cognitive control. Design/methodology/approach: We compared cognitive control differences between a group of Chinese–English bilinguals (n = 30) studying abroad in the USA and a control bilingual group (n = 30) studying at home in mainland China by administering the Flanker task and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). The two groups were matched on demographic variables including age, socioeconomic status (SES), intelligence, etc. Data and analysis: A mixed ANOVA was applied to the Flanker task data, with the task condition as the within-subject variable and the participant group as the between-subject variable. Independent t-test analyses were used to compare performance differences between groups on the WCST. Findings/conclusions: The two groups performed similarly on the Flanker task, whereas the group studying abroad fared better on the WCST, indicating better mental set shifting. Originality: This is the first study to show that the experience of studying abroad brings about cognitive control advantage in mental set shifting. Significance/implications: The current research provides the first evidence that the experience of studying abroad is related to the enhancement of cognitive control, which has implications for both cognitive development and international education.

scholarly journals Enhanced conflict monitoring via a short-duration, video-assisted deep breathing in healthy young adults: an event-related potential approach through the Go/NoGo paradigm

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3857 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kok Suen Cheng ◽  
Yun Fah Chang ◽  
Ray P.S. Han ◽  
Poh Foong Lee
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Short Duration ◽  
Statistical Power ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Deep Breathing ◽  
Conflict Monitoring ◽  
Mindfulness Practices

Objectives Practitioners of mindfulness are reported to have greater cognitive control especially in conflict monitoring, response inhibition and sustained attention. However, due to the various existing methods in each mindfulness practices and also, the high commitment factor, a barrier still exists for an individual to pick up the practices. Therefore, the effect of short duration deep breathing on the cognitive control is investigated here. Methods Short duration guided deep breathing videos consisting of 5, 7 and 9 min respectively were created and used on subjects training. The effect on cognitive control was assessed using a Go/NoGo task along with event-related potential (ERP) measurements at Fz, Cz, and Pz. Results From the study, the significant outcome showed at the follow-up session in which participants engaged for 5 min deep breathing group showed a profound NoGo N2 amplitude increment as compared to the control group, indicating an enhanced conflict monitoring ability. An inverse relationship between the NoGo N2 amplitude and the breathing duration is observed as well at the follow-up session. Conclusion These results indicated the possibility of performing short duration deep breathing guided by a video to achieve an enhanced conflict monitoring as an alternative to other mindfulness practices and 5 min is found to be the optimum practice duration. Significant This study is the first to establish a relationship between deep breathing and conflict monitoring through ERP. The study population of young adults taken from the same environment reduces the variance in ERP results due to age and environment. Limitation A larger sample size would provide a greater statistical power. A longer duration of deep breathing should be investigated to further clarify the relationship between the practice duration and the NoGo N2 amplitude. The result can be split by gender and analyzed separately due to the different brain structure of males and females.

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