scholarly journals Future Directions in Examining Neurological Adaptation to Bilingual Experiences

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 117906951987659 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent DeLuca
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Neural Adaptation ◽  
Comprehensive Understanding ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
Early Step ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Neural Adaptations

In recent years, research examining the neurocognitive effects of bilingualism has undergone a shift in focus towards examining the neurocognitive effects of individual differences within specific aspects of language experience. The DeLuca et al study advances this direction in showing a specificity of neural adaptations to separate aspects of language experience. However, this approach is an early step of several in towards a more comprehensive understanding of the nature of neural adaptation to bilingual language use. This commentary discusses several future directions worth further consideration in research examining bilingualism-induced neuroplasticity.

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.

scholarly journals Characterizing the social diversity of bilingualism using language entropy

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason 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

Bilingual 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.

scholarly journals Appraisal of the Fairness Moral Foundation Predicts the Language Use Involving Moral Issues on Twitter Among Japanese

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akiko Matsuo ◽  
Baofa Du ◽  
Kazutoshi Sasahara
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Political Ideology ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Japanese Version ◽  
Moral Foundations ◽  
Moral Concern ◽  
Moral Foundation ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Language Communication ◽  
The Relationship

Moral appraisals are found to be associated with a person’s individual differences (e.g., political ideology), and the effects of individual differences on language use have been studied within the framework of the Moral Foundations Theory (MFT). However, the relationship between one’s moral concern and the use of language involving morality on social media is not self-evident. The present exploratory study investigated that relationship using the MFT. Participants’ tweets and self-reported responses to the questionnaire were collected to measure the degree of their appraisals according to the five foundations of the MFT. The Japanese version of the Moral Foundations Dictionary (J-MFD) was used to quantify the number of words in tweets relevant to the MFT’s five moral foundations. The results showed that endorsement of the Fairness and Authority foundations predicted the word frequency in the J-MFD across all five foundations. The findings suggest that the trade-off relationship between the Fairness and Authority foundations plays a key role in online language communication. The implications and future directions to scrutinize that foundation are discussed.

scholarly journals Individual Differences in Learning Efficiency

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 607-613
Author(s):  
Kathleen B. McDermott ◽  
Christopher L. Zerr
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Experimental Approach ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
Positive Relation ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Term Memory ◽  
Learning Efficiency ◽  
Rate Of Learning ◽  
Over Time

Most research on long-term memory uses an experimental approach whereby participants are assigned to different conditions, and condition means are the measures of interest. This approach has demonstrated repeatedly that conditions that slow the rate of learning tend to improve later retention. A neglected question is whether aggregate findings at the level of the group (i.e., slower learning tends to improve retention) translate to the level of individual people. We identify a discrepancy whereby—across people—slower learning tends to coincide with poorer memory. The positive relation between learning rate (speed of learning) and retention (amount remembered after a delay) across people is referred to as learning efficiency. A more efficient learner can acquire information faster and remember more of it over time. We discuss potential characteristics of efficient learners and consider future directions for research.

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.

Spatial Development

2013 ◽  
pp. 563-590 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nora S. Newcombe ◽  
David H. Uttal ◽  
Megan Sauter
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Mental Rotation ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Spatial Development ◽  
Formal Description ◽  
Spatial Skills ◽  
Modular Architecture ◽  
Normative Development ◽  
Selective Review

This chapter is a selective review of spatial development, stressing several points. First, we suggest that spatial development can be usefully considered to have two strands: (a) the development of intraobject (or intrinsic) representations along with the ability to transform them (e.g., in mental rotation) and (b) the development of interobject (or extrinsic) representations and the ability to use them to navigate. Second, we argue that both lines of development begin from strong starting points, but also undergo considerable development. They are far from innately specified, nor do they have a modular architecture. Third, we discuss the amplification of spatial skills by human symbolic capabilities, including language, use of maps and models, and gesture. Fourth, we identify areas where research is lacking, most notably the formal description of intraobject skills and the charting of their normative development, the exploration of the sources of individual differences in navigation-relevant skills, and the applications of research to education.

Are Big Five Traits and Facets Associated With Anchoring Susceptibility?

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-35
Author(s):  
Nathan N. Cheek ◽  
Julie K. Norem
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Individual Difference ◽  
Big Five ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Big Five Traits ◽  
Anchoring Effects

Anchoring, the assimilation of judgments to previously considered values, is one of the most robust findings in psychology, and researchers have been increasingly interested in finding individual difference moderators of anchoring effects. Several investigations have examined the relation between Big Five traits and anchoring susceptibility, but previous studies have produced a confusing and contradictory pattern of results. We identify limitations of previous work and report a large preregistered study ( N = 945) to test whether Big Five traits and facets relate to anchoring. We find no significant relations between any traits or facets and anchoring susceptibility. We discuss the implications of our results and future directions for research on individual differences in anchoring susceptibility.

scholarly journals Language Use Across International Contexts: Shaping the Minds of L2 Speakers

2018 ◽  
Vol 38 ◽  
pp. 60-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith F. Kroll ◽  
Paola E. Dussias ◽  
María Teresa Bajo
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Life Experience ◽  
Extended Period ◽  
Research Network ◽  
Language Usage ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
L2 Learning ◽  
Context Of Learning

ABSTRACTBilingualism is a complex life experience. Second language (L2) learning and bilingualism take place in many different contexts. To develop a comprehensive account of dual-language experience requires research that examines individuals who are learning and using two languages in both the first language (L1) and second language (L2) environments. In this article, we review studies that exploit the presence of an international research network on bilingualism to investigate the role of the environment and some the unique characteristics of L2 learning and bilingual language usage in different locations. We ask how the context of learning affects the acquisition of the L2 and the ability to control the use of each language, how language processing is changed by the patterns of language usage in different places (e.g., whether bilinguals have been immersed in the L2 environment for an extended period of time or whether they code-switch), and how the bilingualism of the community itself influences learning and language use.

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