Does Language Make a Difference? A Study of Language Dominance and Inhibitory Control

Although extensive research has been done to compare monolingual and bilingual children’s executive function, there are fewer studies that look at the relation between bilingual children’s languages and executive function. The purpose of this study was two-fold; first, to compare inhibitory control (executive function) in monolingual and bilingual children and second, to determine what vocabulary measure (dominant vs. non-dominant language) was related to inhibitory control in bilingual children. Twenty monolingual (English) and 20 bilingual (English-Spanish) children between the ages of 8 and 12 completed a vocabulary test (in English and Spanish) and an inhibitory control task (the flanker task). Analysis of Covariances (ANCOVAs) revealed no significant differences between monolingual and bilingual children in reaction time (RT) or accuracy in the flanker task after controlling for maternal education. Partial correlations controlling for age showed that English expressive vocabulary (dominant language), but not Spanish, was positively correlated with inhibitory control (larger vocabulary and better inhibitory control), suggesting that bilingual children may use their dominant language to self-regulate over their non-dominant language, increasing the inhibitory control associated to the dominant language.

Download Full-text

Socioeconomic status is a predictor of neurocognitive performance of early female adolescents

International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health ◽

10.1515/ijamh-2018-0024 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

H. J. Madhushanthi ◽

Savithri W. Wimalasekera ◽

C. Sampatha E. Goonewardena ◽

A. A. Thamara D. Amarasekara ◽

Janaka Lenora

Keyword(s):

Socioeconomic Status ◽

Working Memory ◽

Executive Function ◽

Inhibitory Control ◽

Parental Education ◽

Maternal Education ◽

Female Adolescents ◽

Low Ses ◽

Neurocognitive Performance ◽

Verbal Comprehension

Abstract Objective Previous studies have shown that high socioeconomic status (SES) is significantly associated with inhibitory control, working memory, verbal comprehension and IQ. However, in the Asian setting, with its prevailing poverty, information about the influence of SES on cognitive development of female adolescents is limited. This study was aimed to investigate the association between SES and neurocognitive performance of early female adolescents in Sri Lanka. Methods Female adolescents aged 11–14 years (n = 200) of low and middle SES were studied to assess neurocognitive function. After obtaining baseline data, eight subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC – IV), Test Of Nonverbal Intelligence (TONI-3) and two computer-based executive function tests (inhibition and visuo-spatial working memory) were administered to assess neurocognitive measures of the above adolescents. The results were compiled into a data base and analyzed using SPSS version 20 statistical software. Results Higher SES was associated with higher performance in all neurocognitive tests. Low SES adolescents obtained significantly poor test scores for executive function test (inhibitory control: p < 0.0001) and for WISC [verbal comprehension index (VCI): p < 0.0001), working memory index (WMI): p < 0.0001 and estimated full scale IQ (EFSIQ): p < 0.0001)] when compared with middle SES adolescents. Maternal education alone significantly predicts VCI and EFSIQ than the combined influence of parental education, occupation and income. Psychosocial adversities of adolescents were inversely correlated with VCI (r = −0.30; p < 0.001) and EFSIQ (r = −0.20; p < 0.001) of WISC and mathematics performance (r = −0.34; p < 0.001) at examination in school. Conclusion Findings of the study revealed the importance of upliftment of SES of the society to improve the cognitive and academic outcomes of low SES individuals.

Download Full-text

Effects of age on inhibitory control are affected by task-specific features

Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology ◽

10.1080/17470218.2017.1311352 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 71 (5) ◽

pp. 1219-1233 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Angela de Bruin ◽

Sergio Della Sala

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Inhibitory Control ◽

Processing Speed ◽

Simon Task ◽

Flanker Task ◽

Reaction Times ◽

Age Effects ◽

Control Task ◽

Younger Adults

Older adults have been argued to have impoverished inhibitory control compared to younger adults. However, these effects of age may depend on processing speed and their manifestation may furthermore depend on the type of inhibitory control task that is used. We present two experiments that examine age effects on inhibition across three tasks: a Simon arrow, static flanker and motion flanker task. The results showed overall slower reaction times (RTs) for older adults on all three tasks. However, effects of age on inhibition costs were only found for the Simon task, but not for the two flanker tasks. The motion flanker task furthermore showed an effect of baseline processing speed on the relation between age and inhibition costs. Older adults with slower baseline responses showed smaller inhibition costs, suggesting they were affected less by the flanker items than faster older adults. These findings suggest that effects of age on inhibition are task dependent and can be modulated by task-specific features such as the type of interference, type of stimuli and processing speed.

Download Full-text

Using a machine learning approach to complement group level statistics in experimental psychology: A case study to reveal different levels of inhibition in a modified Flanker Task

10.1101/502278 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Tanja Krumpe ◽

Christian Scharinger ◽

Wolfgang Rosenstiel ◽

Peter Gerjets ◽

Martin Spueler

Keyword(s):

Machine Learning ◽

Executive Function ◽

Inhibitory Control ◽

Flanker Task ◽

Mental States ◽

Support Vector ◽

Group Level ◽

Single Trial ◽

Level Statistics ◽

Different Levels

In this paper, we demonstrate how machine learning (ML) can be used to beneficially complement the traditional analysis of behavioral and physiological data to provide new insights into the structure of mental states, in this case, executive functions (EFs) with a focus on inhibitory control. We used a modified Flanker task with the aim to distinguish three levels of inhibitory control: no inhibition, readiness for inhibition and the actual execution of inhibitory control. A simultaneously presented n-back task was used to additionally induce demands on a second executive function. This design enabled us to investigate how the overlap of resources influences the distinction between three levels of inhibitory control. A support vector machine (SVM) based classification approach has been used on EEG data to predict the level of inhibitory control on single-subject and single-trial level. The SVM classification is a subject-specific and single-trial based approach which will be compared to standard group-level statistical approaches to reveal that both methodologies access different properties of the data. We show that considering both methods can give new insights into mental states which cannot be discovered when only using group-level statistics alone. Machine learning results indicate that three different levels of inhibitory control can be distinguished, while the group-average analysis does not give rise to this assumption. In addition, we highlight one other important benefit of the ML approach. We are able to define specific properties of the executive function inhibition by investigating the neural activation patterns that were used during the classification process.

Download Full-text

Amount trumps timing in bilingual vocabulary acquisition: Effects of input in simultaneous and sequential school-age bilinguals

International Journal of Bilingualism ◽

10.1177/1367006917722418 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 23 (1) ◽

pp. 236-255 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Elin Thordardottir

Keyword(s):

Language Learning ◽

Maternal Education ◽

Economic Status ◽

First Grade ◽

Parent Report ◽

Bilingual Children ◽

School Age ◽

Expressive Vocabulary ◽

Language Exposure ◽

Timing Of Exposure

Objectives: This study examined the extent to which the language performance of school-age bilingual children is impacted by the amount of language exposure they have received in each language versus the timing of this exposure in terms of the age of first exposure (AoE). Methods: Receptive and expressive vocabulary and word morphology measures were administered in both languages to school-age simultaneous and sequential learners of French (other language English), and to their monolingual counterparts. Data and analysis: The study included 64 children in first grade and 68 children in third grade in French schools in Montreal. Within each grade level, simultaneous bilinguals, sequential bilinguals, and monolinguals were equivalent in age, nonverbal cognition and socio-economic status (maternal education). Detailed information on previous language exposure was gathered by parent report. Conclusions: Simultaneous bilinguals performed somewhat better than sequential bilinguals; however both groups overall performed significantly more poorly than monolinguals. Differences in performance between simultaneous and sequential bilinguals were mediated by differences in amount, not timing, of exposure. Sequential learners in grade 1 required lower amounts of input to reach high French scores than did their simultaneous counterparts; sequential and simultaneous learners in grade 3 did not differ in this respect. This finding suggests that the recency of bilingual exposure is a significant determiner of the rate of second language learning. The amount of exposure to each language since birth predicted performance in each language of the bilingual children. Originality: Bilingual children with different AoEs were compared while also controlling for differences in amount of exposure. Significant implications: The results call into question the traditional separation between simultaneous and sequential bilinguals and shows that an early start of bilingualism does not in and of itself predict better performance or performance within the monolingual range. Better performance was more strongly related to amount than timing of exposure.

Download Full-text

An fMRI study of inhibitory control and the effects of exposure to violence in Latin-American early adolescents: alterations in frontoparietal activation and performance

Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience ◽

10.1093/scan/nsz092 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 14 (10) ◽

pp. 1097-1107

Author(s):

Valentina Metsavaht Cará ◽

Nathalia Bianchini Esper ◽

Lucas Araújo de Azeredo ◽

Victoria Iochpe ◽

Nicole Prigol Dalfovo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Executive Function ◽

Inhibitory Control ◽

Latin American ◽

Brain Function ◽

Early Adolescents ◽

Exposure To Violence ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Urban Region ◽

Control Task ◽

Study Results

Abstract We used functional magnetic resonance to investigate the effects of exposure to violence on early adolescent brain function in an inhibitory control task. We investigated the association among scores on self-reported exposure to violence, performance and brain activation. Thirty-seven early adolescents (ages 10–14) from a Latin-American urban region participated in the study. Results showed that recent and chronic exposure to violence was associated with less activation of a network of frontal regions, including the anterior cingulate gyrus and the superior frontal cortex; recent exposure to violence was also associated with less activation of the superior parietal lobe. Results also showed that less activation correlated with more prominent deterioration in the performance in the inhibitory control task (increased latency with time). The findings suggest that early adolescence exposure to violence is associated with differences in activation of a neural network commonly associated with executive function and control. The results underscore the urgency of addressing exposure to violence in adolescence, a period of high susceptibility to the environment, and are discussed in the light of the evidence of the effects of violence on adolescent brain function. Executive function training may be a candidate for targeted cognitive interventions aimed at mitigating these effects.

Download Full-text

Control Task Analysis in Action: Collaboration in the Operating Room

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e578902012-056 ◽

2011 ◽

Author(s):

Maryam Ashoori ◽

Catherine Burns ◽

Kathryn Momtahan ◽

Barbara d'Entremont

Keyword(s):

Operating Room ◽

Task Analysis ◽

Control Task

Download Full-text

Neuropsychology of bilingualism: inhibitory control in bilingual children

10.31012/978-65-86854-36-7 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Luana Breda Cristiano ◽

Plínio Marco de Toni

Keyword(s):

Inhibitory Control ◽

Bilingual Children

Download Full-text

Performance Differences Between Native and Non-Native Speakers on a New Happy–Sad Executive Function Measure

Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology ◽

10.1093/arclin/acaa124 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Boji P W Lam ◽

Zenzi M Griffin ◽

Thomas P Marquardt

Keyword(s):

Executive Function ◽

Lexical Decision ◽

Inhibitory Control ◽

Native Speakers ◽

Incongruent Condition ◽

Test Administration ◽

Happy Face ◽

Decision Performance ◽

Performance Differences ◽

Function Measure

Abstract Objective The happy–sad task adapts the classic day–night task by incorporating two early acquired emotional concepts (“happy” and “sad”) and demonstrates elevated inhibitory demands for native speakers. The task holds promise as a new executive function measure for assessing inhibitory control across the lifespan, but no studies have examined the influence of language of test administration on performance. Method Seventy adult native English speakers and 50 non-native speakers completed the computerized day–night and the new happy–sad tasks administered in English. In two conditions, participants were categorized pictorial stimuli either in a congruent manner (“happy” for a happy face) or in a more challenging, incongruent manner (“sad” for a happy face). Lexical decision performance was obtained to estimate levels of English language proficiency. Results Native speakers and non-native speakers performed comparably except for the critical incongruent condition of the happy–sad task, where native speakers responded more slowly. A greater congruency effect for the happy–sad task was found for native than for non-native speakers. Lexical decision performance was associated with performance on the challenging incongruent conditions. Conclusion This study reinforced the usefulness of the happy–sad task as a new measure in evaluating inhibitory control in adult native-speakers. However, the language of test administration needs to be considered in assessment because it may lead to performance differences between native and non-native speakers.

Download Full-text

Effects of Sport-Based Interventions on Children’s Executive Function: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Brain Sciences ◽

10.3390/brainsci11060755 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. 755

Author(s):

Falonn Contreras-Osorio ◽

Christian Campos-Jara ◽

Cristian Martínez-Salazar ◽

Luis Chirosa-Ríos ◽

Darío Martínez-García

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Working Memory ◽

Executive Function ◽

Inhibitory Control ◽

Cognitive Flexibility ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Scientific Evidence ◽

Healthy Children ◽

Meta Analyses ◽

The Impact

One of the most studied aspects of children’s cognitive development is that of the development of the executive function, and research has shown that physical activity has been demonstrated as a key factor in its enhancement. This meta-analysis aims to assess the impact of specific sports interventions on the executive function of children and teenagers. A systematic review was carried out on 1 November 2020 to search for published scientific evidence that analysed different sports programs that possibly affected executive function in students. Longitudinal studies, which assessed the effects of sports interventions on subjects between 6 and 18 years old, were identified through a systematic search of the four principal electronic databases: Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and EBSCO. A total of eight studies, with 424 subjects overall, met the inclusion criteria and were classified based on one or more of the following categories: working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility. The random-effects model for meta-analyses was performed with RevMan version 5.3 to facilitate the analysis of the studies. Large effect sizes were found in all categories: working memory (ES −1.25; 95% CI −1.70; −0.79; p < 0.0001); inhibitory control (ES −1.30; 95% CI −1.98; −0.63; p < 0.00001); and cognitive flexibility (ES −1.52; 95% CI −2.20; −0.83; p < 0.00001). Our analysis concluded that healthy children and teenagers should be encouraged to practice sports in order to improve their executive function at every stage of their development.

Download Full-text