Bilingualism and working memory capacity: A comprehensive meta-analysis

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 325-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
John G Grundy ◽  
Kalinka Timmer
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Effect Size ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Cognitive Outcomes ◽  
Conflict Monitoring ◽  
Bilingual Advantage ◽  
Language Variables

Bilinguals often outperform monolinguals on executive function tasks, including tasks that tap cognitive flexibility, conflict monitoring, and task-switching abilities. Some have suggested that bilinguals also have greater working memory capacity than comparable monolinguals, but evidence for this suggestion is mixed. We therefore conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis on the effects of bilingualism on working memory capacity. Results from 88 effect sizes, 27 independent studies, and 2,901 participants revealed a significant small to medium population effect size of 0.20 in favor of greater working memory capacity for bilinguals than monolinguals. This suggests that experience managing two languages that compete for selection results in greater working memory capacity over time. Moderator analyses revealed that largest effects were observed in children than other age groups. Furthermore, whether the task was performed in the first (L1) or second (L2) language for bilinguals moderated the effect size of the bilingual advantage; this factor is often overlooked and our results point to the importance of defining language variables that influence critical cognitive outcomes.

scholarly journals Transdiagnostic comparison of visual working memory capacity in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine V. Barnes-Scheufler ◽  
Caroline Passow ◽  
Lara Rösler ◽  
Jutta S. Mayer ◽  
Viola Oertel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bipolar Disorder ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Visual Working Memory ◽  
Effect Size ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Medium Effect ◽  
Full Spectrum ◽  
Small Effect Size ◽  
The Difference

Abstract Background Impaired working memory is a core cognitive deficit in both bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Its study might yield crucial insights into the underpinnings of both disorders on the cognitive and neurophysiological level. Visual working memory capacity is a particularly promising construct for such translational studies. However, it has not yet been investigated across the full spectrum of both disorders. The aim of our study was to compare the degree of reductions of visual working memory capacity in patients with bipolar disorder (PBD) and patients with schizophrenia (PSZ) using a paradigm well established in cognitive neuroscience. Methods 62 PBD, 64 PSZ, and 70 healthy controls (HC) completed a canonical visual change detection task. Participants had to encode the color of four circles and indicate after a short delay whether the color of one of the circles had changed or not. We estimated working memory capacity using Pashler’s K. Results Working memory capacity was significantly reduced in both PBD and PSZ compared to HC. We observed a small effect size (r = .202) for the difference between HC and PBD and a medium effect size (r = .370) for the difference between HC and PSZ. Working memory capacity in PSZ was also significantly reduced compared to PBD with a small effect size (r = .201). Thus, PBD showed an intermediate level of impairment. Conclusions These findings provide evidence for a gradient of reduced working memory capacity in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, with PSZ showing the strongest degree of impairment. This underscores the importance of disturbed information processing for both bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Our results are compatible with the cognitive manifestation of a neurodevelopmental gradient affecting bipolar disorder to a lesser degree than schizophrenia. They also highlight the relevance of visual working memory capacity for the development of both behavior- and brain-based transdiagnostic biomarkers.

scholarly journals Retest effects in working memory capacity tests: A meta-analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 2175-2199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana Scharfen ◽  
Katrin Jansen ◽  
Heinz Holling
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Capacity

scholarly journals Transdiagnostic Comparison of Visual Working Memory Capacity in Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Barnes-Scheufler ◽  
Caroline Passow ◽  
Lara Rösler ◽  
Jutta Mayer ◽  
Viola Oertel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bipolar Disorder ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Visual Working Memory ◽  
Effect Size ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Medium Effect ◽  
Full Spectrum ◽  
Small Effect Size ◽  
The Difference

Abstract BackgroundImpaired working memory is a core cognitive deficit in both bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Its study might yield crucial insights into the underpinnings of both disorders on the cognitive and neurophysiological level. Visual working memory capacity is a particularly promising construct for such translational studies. However, it has not yet been investigated across the full spectrum of both disorders. The aim of our study was to compare the degree of reductions of visual working memory capacity in patients with bipolar disorder (PBD) and patients with schizophrenia (PSZ) using a paradigm well established in cognitive neuroscience. Methods62 PBD, 64 PSZ, and 70 healthy controls (HC) completed a canonical visual change detection task. Participants had to encode the color of four circles and indicate after a short delay whether the color of one of the circles had changed or not. We estimated working memory capacity using Pashler’s K. ResultsWorking memory capacity was significantly reduced in both PBD and PSZ compared to HC. We observed a small effect size (r = .202) for the difference between HC and PBD and a medium effect size (r = .370) for the difference between HC and PSZ. Working memory capacity in PSZ was also significantly reduced compared to PBD with a small effect size (r = .201). Thus, PBD showed an intermediate level of impairment. ConclusionsThese findings provide evidence for a gradient of reduced working memory capacity in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, with PSZ showing the strongest degree of impairment. This underscores the importance of disturbed information processing for both bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Our results are compatible with the cognitive manifestation of a neurodevelopmental gradient affecting bipolar disorder to a lesser degree than schizophrenia. They also highlight the relevance of visual working memory capacity for the development of both behavior- and brain-based transdiagnostic biomarkers.

scholarly journals Fundamental Relationships of Executive Functions and Physiological Abilities with Game Intelligence, Game Time and Injuries in Elite Soccer Players

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans-Erik Scharfen ◽  
Daniel Memmert
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Endurance Performance ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Soccer Players ◽  
Injury Incidence ◽  
Performance Parameters

Abstract Objectives: The study’s aim was threefold: examine 1) the relation between executive functions and coach-rated evaluation of game intelligence; 2) the predictive value of cognitive and athletic performance parameters concerning playing time, and 3) injuries to analyze fundamental associations of soccer expertise across all ages.Design/Methods: A sample of 172 elite soccer players (12-34 years of age) performed tests assessing multiple-object tracking, working memory capacity, cognitive flexibility, and inhibition. Endurance-performance at the individual anaerobic threshold (IAT), ability to repeatedly perform intense exercises (RIEA) and maximal anaerobic performance parameters (squat jump, countermovement jump, drop jump, sprint) were also measured. Game intelligence game time and injury incidence were tracked.Results: Working memory capacity, cognitive flexibility, and a total cognition score showed correlations with game intelligence, and the same parameter, along with selective attention and game intelligence, were also correlated with game time. Sprint and RIEA were connected with game time, whereas contact injuries only correlated with sprint, and noncontact injuries with sprint and performance-IAT.Conclusion: Especially executive functions represent fundamental associations with game intelligence and game time across all age groups but not with injury incidences, whereas certain physiological abilities may contribute to more game time and less non-contact injuries depending on age.

The Effect Of Age On Working Memory Capacity And Syntactic Processing

2006 ◽  
Vol 75 ◽  
pp. 19-28
Author(s):  
Joanne van Emmerik
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Quantitative Difference ◽  
Qualitative Difference ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Young Group ◽  
Elderly Group ◽  
Syntactic Processing

The role of WM in syntactic processing has been discussed extensively in the literature. Some researchers claim that a single working memory capacity is used during processing (Just & Carpenter, 1992), and there are others who claim that language comprehension and syntactic processing can be divided into two stages (Caplan & Waters, 1995). This study examines the relationship between age, working memory capacity and on-line /off-line syntactic processing, using Dutch stimuli in self-paced reading task and a reading span task. The results showed that WM capacity significantly declines with age. The self-paced reading times of the Dutch subject/object ambiguities showed a significant quantitative difference between the two age groups, but not a qualitative difference: the elderly group read significantly slower than the young group but the pattern of the reading times was identical for both age groups. Off-line, the results of the comprehension questions show that comprehension was affected for the elderly group in the items that demanded less WM capacity compared to the young group. No age-effect was found in the results of the comprehension questions in the WM-demanding items. Overall, this study cannot support the claim that a single WM capacity is used for syntactic processing and comprehension.

Replication in interaction and working memory research: Révész (2012) and Goo (2012)

2015 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 545-555 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Gass ◽  
Lorena Valmori
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Population Differences ◽  
Thought Processes ◽  
Target Structure ◽  
Memory Research

This paper argues for the replication of two studies, both of which consider feedback and working memory. In the first part of this paper, we discuss the role of interaction-based research and working memory research in second language acquisition research. We then describe two studies that have unified these two areas in recent published articles and discuss ways that replication can further our knowledge in how working memory capacity can impact the benefits of feedback. We emphasize the importance of replication in a number of different areas, including grammatical complexity of the target structure and the nature of working memory tests, in scoring, actual tests, and modes of delivery. Additionally, we discuss the possibilities for replication in the area of population differences, in particular, age groups and more lasting effects as would be found in delayed post-tests. Finally, we point out another means of gathering information about thought processes and suggest the value of adding stimulated recalls to the existing data.

Is bilingualism associated with better working memory capacity? A meta-analysis

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-27
Author(s):  
Catherine Monnier ◽  
Julie Boiché ◽  
Pauline Armandon ◽  
Sophie Baudoin ◽  
Stéphanie Bellocchi
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Capacity
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document