Bilinguals’ and monolinguals’ performance on a non-verbal cognitive control task: How bilingual language experience contributes to cognitive performance by reducing mixing and switching costs

2020 ◽  
pp. 136700692094640
Author(s):  
Iryna Khodos ◽  
Christo Moskovsky ◽  
Stefania Paolini
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Switching Costs ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Onset Age ◽  
Control Task ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
Mixing Costs ◽  
Language Context ◽  
Switching Task

Aims and objectives/purpose/research questions: The study investigated whether language experience predicts cognitive performance in bilingual and monolingual adults. As indicators of language experience, we focused on language context, typological proximity/distance between two languages and onset age of active bilingualism. As indicators of cognitive performance, we measured mixing costs and switching costs to gauge proactive and reactive control processes during a computerized non-verbal cognitive control task. Design/methodology/approach: Demographic and language data were collected with the Language and Social Background Questionnaire. Mixing and switching costs were subsequently obtained using a cued non-verbal switching task. Data and analysis: The background and switching-task data obtained from 60 bilinguals from non-English-speaking backgrounds and 24 English monolinguals residing in Australia were analysed using linear fixed-effects regression analyses. Findings/conclusions: The results showed that the use of two languages in a dual-language context was associated with reduced switching costs relative to monolingual and bilingual separated-language contexts and with reduced mixing costs only relative to a bilingual separated-language context. Among the bilinguals, lower mixing costs were also associated with an earlier onset age of active bilingualism and smaller typological distance between two languages. Originality: This study’s design included bilinguals as a target group and monolinguals as a control group, thus enabling the identification of possible mixing and/or switching cost advantages in bilinguals. By targeting young/middle-aged adults and considering a set of potentially relevant language experiences, this work was, therefore, well placed to provide clarity on findings for an age group that previously returned mixed and inconclusive results regarding a bilingual advantage. Significance/implications: Our findings reinforce the idea that particular dimensions of bilingual experience rather than bilingualism per se are linked to enhanced cognitive performance.

Bilingual advantage in executive control when task demands are considered

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 277-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
LI QU ◽  
JOEL JIA WEI LOW ◽  
TING ZHANG ◽  
HONG LI ◽  
PHILIP DAVID ZELAZO
Keyword(s):  
Executive Control ◽  
Switching Costs ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Bilingual Advantage ◽  
Mixing Costs ◽  
Switching Task

To examine how task demands influence bilingual advantage in executive control over monolinguals, we tested 32 Chinese monolinguals and 32 Chinese–English bilinguals with four versions of a color-shape switching task. During switching trials, the task required participants to suppress one set of conflicting (or non-conflicting) responses and simultaneously to activate another set of conflicting (or non-conflicting) responses. The results showed that compared to monolinguals, (i) when suppressing conflicting responses or (ii) activating non-conflicting responses, bilinguals had significantly smaller switching costs though similar mixing costs; (iii) when suppressing one set of conflicting responses and simultaneously activating another set of conflicting responses, bilinguals had significantly smaller switching costs though larger mixing costs; and (iv) when suppressing one set of non-conflicting responses and simultaneously activating another set of non-conflicting responses, bilinguals had similar switching costs and mixing costs. These findings indicate that task demands affect bilingual advantage in executive control.

Dimensions of bilingualism promoting cognitive control

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iryna Khodos ◽  
Christo Moskovsky
Keyword(s):  
Dual Language ◽  
Switching Costs ◽  
Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Social Background ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Reactive Control ◽  
Control Processes ◽  
Language Data ◽  
Mixing Costs ◽  
Language Context

Abstract The study investigated the capacity of language experiences to predict cognitive performance of bilingual adults, with a special focus on participants’ proactive (mixing costs) and reactive (switching costs) control processes. Using a Language and Social Background Questionnaire, demographic and language data were collected from a linguistically diverse group of 60 bilingual adults residing in Australia. The participants were then tested on a non-verbal switching task. The results of multiple regressions revealed that two of the language variables being examined accounted for the variance in the mixing and switching costs. In particular, reduced mixing costs were related to the use of two languages in a dual-language context and earlier onset age of active bilingualism; reduced switching costs were linked to a dual-language context only. These findings reveal that bilingual experiences contribute to shaping proactive and reactive control processes across cognitive domains.

Behavioural and EEG atypicalities during rest, visual perception, and cognitive control in autistic adults

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amandine Lassalle ◽  
Michael X Cohen ◽  
Laura Dekkers ◽  
Elizabeth Milne ◽  
Rasa Gulbinaite ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Perception ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Neural Dynamics ◽  
Simple Explanation ◽  
Control Task ◽  
Neural Structure ◽  
Eeg Power ◽  
Autistic Adults

Background: People with an Autism Spectrum Condition diagnosis (ASD) are hypothesized to show atypical neural dynamics, reflecting differences in neural structure and function. However, previous results regarding neural dynamics in autistic individuals have not converged on a single pattern of differences. It is possible that the differences are cognitive-set-specific, and we therefore measured EEG in autistic individuals and matched controls during three different cognitive states: resting, visual perception, and cognitive control.Methods: Young adults with and without an ASD (N=17 in each group) matched on age (range 20 to 30 years), sex, and estimated Intelligence Quotient (IQ) were recruited. We measured their behavior and their EEG during rest, a task requiring low-level visual perception of gratings of varying spatial frequency, and the “Simon task” to elicit activity in the executive control network. We computed EEG power and Inter-Site Phase Clustering (ISPC; a measure of connectivity) in various frequency bands.Results: During rest, there were no ASD vs. controls differences in EEG power, suggesting typical oscillation power at baseline. During visual processing, without pre-baseline normalization, we found decreased broadband EEG power in ASD vs. controls, but this was not the case during the cognitive control task. Furthermore, the behavioral results of the cognitive control task suggest that autistic adults were better able to ignore irrelevant stimuli.Conclusions: Together, our results defy a simple explanation of overall differences between ASD and controls, and instead suggest a more nuanced pattern of altered neural dynamics that depend on which neural networks are engaged.

Cognitive performance in early, treatment-resistant psychosis patients: Could cognitive control play a role in persistent symptoms?

2021 ◽  
Vol 295 ◽  
pp. 113607
Author(s):  
Megan Thomas ◽  
Timea Szentgyorgyi ◽  
Lucy D. Vanes ◽  
Elias Mouchlianitis ◽  
Erica F. Barry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Early Treatment ◽  
Treatment Resistant ◽  
Persistent Symptoms

scholarly journals The Effects of the Combination of High-Intensity Interval Training with 3D-Multiple Object Tracking Task on Perceptual-Cognitive Performance: A Randomized Controlled Intervention Trial

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 4862
Author(s):  
Soo-Yong Park ◽  
Thomas Jürgen Klotzbier ◽  
Nadja Schott
Keyword(s):  
Object Tracking ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
High Intensity ◽  
Interval Training ◽  
Multiple Object Tracking ◽  
Control Group ◽  
High Intensity Interval Training ◽  
Multiple Object ◽  
Post Test ◽  
High Intensity Interval

The ability to process goal-related visual information while ignoring goal-irrelevant information is essential for the human attention system. The study aimed to investigate how perceptual–cognitive performance was affected during high-intensity interval training (HIIT) using a 3D-multiple object tracking (3D-MOT) task called Neurotracker (NT). In an experimental design, 42 healthy adults (age M = 23.3 SD = 2.94, VO2max 52.8 ± 5.66 mL·kg−1·min−1) were randomly assigned to an intervention (HIIT + NT, NT, HIIT) or control group. NT performance (20 trials per session) was measured pre-and post-test (at 5, 15, and 25 min while running on the treadmill). The participants trained twice a week for a 4-week intervention period. There was a significant interaction effect between pre/post-test and groups regarding perceptual-cognitive performance, indicating similar enhancements in the HIIT + NT and the NT group during exercise. HIIT influences physical fitness but did not show any impact on perceptual–cognitive performance. Due to the specific NT task characteristics, improved physical abilities may not directly impact sport-specific perceptual-cognitive performance. Our findings suggest that training resulted in substantial task-specific gains. Therefore, combination training may be proposed as a training program to improve perceptual–cognitive, and physical performance in a time-efficient way.

scholarly journals Do Reward-Related Distractors Impair Cognitive Performance? Perhaps Not

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorottya Rusz ◽  
Erik Bijleveld ◽  
Michiel A. J. Kompier
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Mental Arithmetic ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Arithmetic Task ◽  
Bayesian Analyses ◽  
Monetary Rewards ◽  
Mental Arithmetic Task ◽  
Task Irrelevant ◽  
Math Problems

Over a hundred prior studies show that reward-related distractors capture attention. It is less clear, however, whether and when reward-related distractors affect performance on tasks that require cognitive control. In this experiment, we examined whether reward-related distractors impair performance during a demanding arithmetic task. Participants (N = 81) solved math problems, while they were exposed to task-irrelevant stimuli that were previously associated with monetary rewards (vs. not). Although we found some evidence for reward learning in the training phase, results from the test phase showed no evidence that reward-related distractors harm cognitive performance. This null effect was invariant across different versions of our task. We examined the results further with Bayesian analyses, which showed positive evidence for the null. Altogether, the present study showed that reward-related distractors did not harm performance on a mental arithmetic task. When considered together with previous studies, the present study suggests that the negative impact of reward-related distractors on cognitive control is not as straightforward as it may seem, and that more research is needed to clarify the circumstances under which reward-related distractors harm cognitive control.

scholarly journals Association between family history and the onset age of essential hypertension in Han population in Shanghai China

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
li anle ◽  
Qian Peng ◽  
Yue Qin Shao ◽  
Yi Ying Zhang ◽  
Fang Xiang
Keyword(s):  
Essential Hypertension ◽  
Family History ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Nuclear Family ◽  
Age Of Onset ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Case Group ◽  
Onset Age ◽  
Han Population ◽  
The Difference

Abstract Importance Genetic factors are important influencing factors of essential hypertension, and family history (FH) is an important marker of genetic factors. Objective To explore the association between family history and the onset age of essential hypertension in Han population in Shanghai China. Methods According to l:l matched pairs design，342 precursor of hypertension and 342 controls were selected and investigate their nuclear family members in the case-control study. The diagnostic information of hypertension in all relatives of these two groups was investigated. The method of genetic epidemiology research was used to explore the effect of family history. Results The average prevalence of hypertension was 23.32%. The prevalence of hypertension of first-degree relatives was 33.99%; the prevalence of second- degree relatives was 17.60%; the prevalence of third-degree relatives was 13.51%. All prevalence of hypertension of case group relatives were significantly higher than that of control group relatives. The average onset age in population with positive FH is 48.74±11.16 years old, and the average onset age in population with negative FH is 54.38±9.87 years old. The difference about two FH groups showed statistically significant (t=4.589, P<0.001). The average onset age of offspring with father, mother, grandpa, grandma, maternal grandpa or maternal grandma positive was respectively 48.42± 11.16, 49.16±11.12, 39.55±11.95, 39.88±11.90, 43.67±9.77 or 43.64±10.21 years old; and the average onset age of children with father, mother, grandpa, grandma, maternal grandpa or maternal grandma negative was respectively 51.90± 10.81, 51.17±11.04, 51.07±10.59, 51.08±10.60, 50.50±11.09 or 50.57±11.06 years old. The difference about two groups showed statistically significant. Conclusion Family history has a positive effect on the occurrence of hypertension, and lead to earlier age of onset of offspring. The effects are different among parent and grandparent in Han in Shanghai China.

scholarly journals Domains of cognition and their assessment

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 227-237 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Use Of Assessment ◽  
Assessment Strategies ◽  
Neuropsychiatric Conditions

Cognitive performance is typically conceptualized in terms of domains of functioning. These domains are hierarchical in nature, with the bottom referring to more basic sensory and perceptual processes and the top referring to elements of executive functioning and cognitive control. Domains are not independent of each other and executive functioning exerts control over the utilization of more basic processes. Assessments are typically targeted at subdomains of each ability area and careful combination of tasks can reveal patterns of performance consistent with a variety of different neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions. This review covers the general structures of domains, the patterns of impairments across domains seen in common neuropsychiatric conditions, and use of assessment strategies to differentiate, to the extent possible, between different types of conditions manifesting cognitive impairment.

Enhancing Reappraisal by Linking Cognitive Control and Emotion

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 155-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noga Cohen ◽  
Nilly Mor
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Training Group ◽  
Causal Role ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Personal Event

In the current study we explored whether training individuals to recruit cognitive control prior to exposure to negative pictures can facilitate the propensity to use reappraisal and reappraisal success. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups. In the training group, negative pictures were typically preceded by a stimulus that recruits cognitive control, whereas in the control group, negative pictures were typically preceded by a stimulus that does not recruit cognitive control. Participants were subsequently asked to reflect on a negative personal event and to later reappraise the event. As predicted, compared to participants in the control group, those in the training group were more likely to use reappraisal spontaneously, and when instructed to reappraise, were more successful in doing so. We argue that the ability to employ cognitive control has a causal role in reappraisal use and success.

Neurobiological findings associated with high cognitive performance in older adults: a systematic review

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (12) ◽  
pp. 1813-1825 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wyllians Vendramini Borelli ◽  
Lucas Porcello Schilling ◽  
Graciane Radaelli ◽  
Luciana Borges Ferreira ◽  
Leonardo Pisani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Control Group ◽  
High Performing ◽  
High Performers ◽  
Positron Emission ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Molecular Brain

ABSTRACTObjectives:to perform a comprehensive literature review of studies on older adults with exceptional cognitive performance.Design:We performed a systematic review using two major databases (MEDLINE and Web of Science) from January 2002 to November 2017.Results:Quantitative analysis included nine of 4,457 studies and revealed that high-performing older adults have global preservation of the cortex, especially the anterior cingulate region, and hippocampal volumes larger than normal agers. Histological analysis of this group also exhibited decreased amyloid burden and neurofibrillary tangles compared to cognitively normal older controls. High performers that maintained memory ability after three years showed reduced amyloid positron emission tomography at baseline compared with high performers that declined. A single study on blood plasma found a set of 12 metabolites predicting memory maintenance of this group.Conclusion:Structural and molecular brain preservation of older adults with high cognitive performance may be associated with brain maintenance. The operationalized definition of high-performing older adults must be carefully addressed using appropriate age cut-off and cognitive evaluation, including memory and non-memory tests. Further studies with a longitudinal approach that include a younger control group are essential.

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