Effects of third-language learning on inhibitory control with consideration of task complexity and language proficiency

2021 ◽  
pp. 136700692110545
Author(s):  
Dongmei Ma ◽  
Xinyue Wang ◽  
Xuefei Gao
Keyword(s):  
Adult Learners ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Task Complexity ◽  
Interference Suppression ◽  
Complex Task ◽  
Third Language ◽  
Bilingual Advantage ◽  
Control Response

Aims and Objectives: The present study explores the question of whether learning a third language (L3) in an English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom setting induces improved inhibitory control compared with that found in bilinguals, considering task complexity and language proficiency. Methodology: Thirty-six Chinese–English second language (L2) young adult learners and 121 Chinese–English–Japanese/French/Russian/German L3 young adult learners with three levels of L3 proficiency participated in the study. Simon arrow tasks were employed to measure two types of inhibitory control: response inhibition (the less complex task with univalent stimuli) and interference suppression (the more complex task with bivalent stimuli). Data and Analysis: Statistics using ANOVAs and multiple comparisons were employed to analyze the effects of L3 learning on the reaction time and accuracy for response inhibition and interference suppression, respectively. Findings: The results demonstrated that L3 learners did not outperform L2 learners in the two types of inhibitory control: response inhibition (less complex) and interference suppression (more complex). Moreover, L3 learners with a higher proficiency did not display better inhibitory control than those with a lower proficiency in response inhibition and interference suppression. However, as the L3 proficiency increased, some specific aspects of inhibitory control did improve and exhibited a nonlinear pattern. Originality: The present study extends bilingual advantage in inhibitory control to formal L3 learning, exploring whether bilingual advantage in inhibitory control also appears in L3 learners, considering task complexity and language proficiency. Significance/implications: The present study contributes to the theory of the relationship between multilingualism and inhibitory control by showing that this relationship may be more complex than it is understood currently. Learning an additional language to L2, particularly short-term learning, may not lead to an incremental advantage in overall inhibitory control. However, as learning time increases, changes may appear in specific aspects of inhibitory control, and may be a nonlinear one.

The development of two types of inhibitory control in monolingual and bilingual children

2008 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
MICHELLE M. MARTIN-RHEE ◽  
ELLEN BIALYSTOK
Keyword(s):  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Stroop Task ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Simon Task ◽  
Interference Suppression ◽  
Present Series ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Complex Tasks ◽  
Bilingual Advantage ◽  
Competing Responses

Previous research has shown that bilingual children excel in tasks requiring inhibitory control to ignore a misleading perceptual cue. The present series of studies extends this finding by identifying the degree and type of inhibitory control for which bilingual children demonstrate this advantage. Study 1 replicated the earlier research by showing that bilingual children perform the Simon task more rapidly than monolinguals, but only on conditions in which the demands for inhibitory control were high. The next two studies compared performance on tasks that required inhibition of attention to a specific cue, like the Simon task, and inhibition of a habitual response, like the day–night Stroop task. In both studies, bilingual children maintained their advantage on tasks that require control of attention but showed no advantage on tasks that required inhibition of response. These results confine the bilingual advantage found previously to complex tasks requiring control over attention to competing cues (interference suppression) and not to tasks requiring control over competing responses (response inhibition).

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 The Effect of Bilingualism on Older Adults’ Inhibitory Control: A Meta-Analysis

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bonnie A Armstrong ◽  
Natalie Ein ◽  
Brenda I Wong ◽  
Sara N Gallant ◽  
Lingqian Li
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Bilingual Advantage ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
Design And Methods

AbstractBackground and ObjectivesThe effect bilingualism has on older adults’ inhibitory control has been extensively investigated, yet there is continued controversy regarding whether older adult bilinguals show superior inhibitory control compared with monolinguals. The objective of the current meta-analysis was to examine the reliability and magnitude of the bilingualism effect on older adults’ inhibitory control as measured by the Simon and Stroop tasks. In addition, we examined whether individual characteristics moderate the bilingual advantage in inhibition, including age (young–old vs old–old), age of second language acquisition, immigrant status, language proficiency, and frequency of language use.Research Design and MethodsA total of 22 samples for the Simon task and 14 samples for the Stroop task were derived from 28 published and unpublished articles (32 independent samples, with 4 of these samples using more than 1 task) and were analyzed in 2 separate meta-analyses.ResultsAnalyses revealed a reliable effect of bilingualism on older adults’ performance on the Simon (g = 0.60) and Stroop (g = 0.27) tasks. Interestingly, individual characteristics did not moderate the association between bilingualism and older adults’ inhibitory control.Discussion and ImplicationsThe results suggest there is a bilingual advantage in inhibitory control for older bilinguals compared with older monolinguals, regardless of the individual characteristics previously thought to moderate this effect. Based on these findings, bilingualism may protect inhibitory control from normal cognitive decline with age.

scholarly journals Successive bilingualism and executive functions: The effect of second language use on inhibitory control in a behavioural Stroop Colour Word task

2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 630-645 ◽  
Author(s):  
KARIN HEIDLMAYR ◽  
SYLVAIN MOUTIER ◽  
BARBARA HEMFORTH ◽  
CYRIL COURTIN† ◽  
ROBERT TANZMEISTER ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Third Language ◽  
Bilingual Advantage ◽  
Colour Word ◽  
Word Task ◽  
Language Environment ◽  
French Words

Here we examined the role of bilingualism on cognitive inhibition using the Stroop Colour Word task. Our hypothesis was that the frequency of use of a second language (L2) in the daily life of successive bilingual individuals impacts the efficiency of their inhibitory control mechanism. Thirty-three highly proficient successive French–German bilinguals, living either in a French or in a German linguistic environment, performed a Stroop task on both French and German words. Moreover, 31 French monolingual individuals were also tested with French words. We showed that the bilingual advantage was (i) reinforced by the use of a third language, and (ii) modulated by the duration of immersion in a second language environment. This suggests that top–down inhibitory control is most involved at the beginning of immersion. Taken together, the present findings lend support to the psycholinguistic models of bilingual language processing that postulate that top–down active inhibition is involved in language control.

A combined forced-attention dichotic listening – Go/Nogo task to assess response inhibition and interference suppression: An auditory event-related potential investigation.

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (8) ◽  
pp. 1136-1150
Author(s):  
Nathalie Bedoin ◽  
Raphaëlle Abadie ◽  
Jennifer Krzonowski ◽  
Emmanuel Ferragne ◽  
Agathe Marcastel
Keyword(s):  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Dichotic Listening ◽  
Interference Suppression ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Auditory Event

scholarly journals Effects of tDCS during inhibitory control training on performance and PTSD, aggression and anxiety symptoms: a randomized-controlled trial in a military sample

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Fenne M. Smits ◽  
Elbert Geuze ◽  
Dennis J. L. G. Schutter ◽  
Jack van Honk ◽  
Thomas E. Gladwin
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Clinical Sample ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Anodal Tdcs ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Impulsive Aggression ◽  
The Right ◽  
Inhibition Training

Abstract Background Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and impulsive aggression are linked to transdiagnostic neurocognitive deficits. This includes impaired inhibitory control over inappropriate responses. Prior studies showed that inhibitory control can be improved by modulating the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in combination with inhibitory control training. However, its clinical potential remains unclear. We therefore aimed to replicate a tDCS-enhanced inhibitory control training in a clinical sample and test whether this reduces stress-related mental health symptoms. Methods In a preregistered double-blind randomized-controlled trial, 100 active-duty military personnel and post-active veterans with PTSD, anxiety, or impulsive aggression symptoms underwent a 5-session intervention where a stop-signal response inhibition training was combined with anodal tDCS over the right IFG for 20 min at 1.25 mA. Inhibitory control was evaluated with the emotional go/no-go task and implicit association test. Stress-related symptoms were assessed by self-report at baseline, post-intervention, and after 3-months and 1-year follow-ups. Results Active relative to sham tDCS neither influenced performance during inhibitory control training nor on assessment tasks, and did also not significantly influence self-reported symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, impulsive aggression, or depression at post-assessment or follow-up. Conclusions Our results do not support the idea that anodal tDCS over the right IFG at 1.25 mA enhances response inhibition training in a clinical sample, or that this tDCS-training combination can reduce stress-related symptoms. Applying different tDCS parameters or combining tDCS with more challenging tasks might provide better conditions to modulate cognitive functioning and stress-related symptoms.

scholarly journals Inhibitory Dimensions and Delay of Gratification: A Comparative Study on Individuals with Down Syndrome and Typically Developing Children

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 636
Author(s):  
Martina Fontana ◽  
Maria Carmen Usai ◽  
Sandra Pellizzoni ◽  
Maria Chiara Passolunghi
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Interference Suppression ◽  
Delay Of Gratification ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Mental Age ◽  
Two Samples

While previous research on inhibition in people with Down syndrome (DS) reported contradictory results, with no explicit theoretical model, on the other hand, a more homogeneous impaired profile on the delay of gratification skills emerged. The main goal of the present study was to investigate response inhibition, interference suppression, and delay of gratification in 51 individuals with DS matched for a measure of mental age (MA) with 71 typically developing (TD) children. Moreover, we cross-sectionally explored the strengths and weaknesses of these components in children and adolescents vs. adults with DS with the same MA. A battery of laboratory tasks tapping on inhibitory sub-components and delay of gratification was administrated. Results indicated that individuals with DS showed an overall worse performance compared to TD children on response inhibition and delay of gratification, while no differences emerged between the two samples on the interference suppression. Additionally, our results suggested that older individuals with DS outperformed the younger ones both in response inhibition and in the delay of gratification, whereas the interference suppression still remains impaired in adulthood. This study highlights the importance of evaluating inhibitory sub-components considering both MA and chronological age in order to promote more effective and evidence-based training for this population.

scholarly journals VOICE ONSET TIME IN MULTILINGUAL SPEAKERS: ITALIAN HERITAGE SPEAKERS IN GERMANY WITH L3 ENGLISH

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Miriam Geiss ◽  
Sonja Gumbsheimer ◽  
Anika Lloyd-Smith ◽  
Svenja Schmid ◽  
Tanja Kupisch
Keyword(s):  
Heritage Language ◽  
Voice Onset Time ◽  
Onset Time ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Heritage Speakers ◽  
Third Language ◽  
Bilingual Advantage ◽  
L3 Acquisition ◽  
Crosslinguistic Influence

Abstract This study brings together two previously largely independent fields of multilingual language acquisition: heritage language and third language (L3) acquisition. We investigate the production of fortis and lenis stops in semi-naturalistic speech in the three languages of 20 heritage speakers (HSs) of Italian with German as a majority language and English as L3. The study aims to identify the extent to which the HSs produce distinct values across all three languages, or whether crosslinguistic influence (CLI) occurs. To this end, we compare the HSs’ voice onset time (VOT) values with those of L2 English speakers from Italy and Germany. The language triad exhibits overlapping and distinct VOT realizations, making VOT a potentially vulnerable category. Results indicate CLI from German into Italian, although a systemic difference is maintained. When speaking English, the HSs show an advantage over the Italian L2 control group, with less prevoicing and longer fortis stops, indicating a specific bilingual advantage.

scholarly journals Bilingual children show an advantage in controlling verbal interference during spoken language comprehension

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 490-501 ◽  
Author(s):  
ROBERTO FILIPPI ◽  
JOHN MORRIS ◽  
FIONA M. RICHARDSON ◽  
PETER BRIGHT ◽  
MICHAEL S.C. THOMAS ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Target Sentence ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Visual Modality ◽  
Auditory Modality ◽  
Interference Control ◽  
Bilingual Advantage ◽  
Complex Sentences ◽  
Adult Participants

Studies measuring inhibitory control in the visual modality have shown a bilingual advantage in both children and adults. However, there is a lack of developmental research on inhibitory control in the auditory modality. This study compared the comprehension of active and passive English sentences in 7–10 years old bilingual and monolingual children. The task was to identify the agent of a sentence in the presence of verbal interference. The target sentence was cued by the gender of the speaker. Children were instructed to focus on the sentence in the target voice and ignore the distractor sentence. Results indicate that bilinguals are more accurate than monolinguals in comprehending syntactically complex sentences in the presence of linguistic noise. This supports previous findings with adult participants (Filippi, Leech, Thomas, Green & Dick, 2012). We therefore conclude that the bilingual advantage in interference control begins early in life and is maintained throughout development.

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