scholarly journals Can You Make Better Decisions If You Are Bilingual?

Languages ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 43
Author(s):  
Alena Kirova ◽  
Jose Camacho
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Cognitive Biases ◽  
Heritage Speakers ◽  
Decision Making Problem ◽  
Cognitive Overload ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Heritage Speakers Of Spanish ◽  
Rational Language

Studies have shown that “framing bias,” a phenomenon in which two different presentations of the same decision-making problem provoke different answers, is reduced in a foreign language (the Foreign Language effect, FLe). Three explanations have emerged to account for the difference. First, the cognitive enhancement hypothesis states that lower proficiency in the FL leads to slower, more deliberate processing, reducing the framing bias. Second, contradicting the previous, the cognitive overload hypothesis, states that the cognitive load actually induces speakers to make less rational decisions in the FL. Finally, the reduced emotionality hypothesis suggests that speakers have less of an emotional connection to a foreign language (FL), causing an increase in rational language processing. Previous FLe research has involved both FL and non-FL speakers such as highly proficient acculturated bilinguals. Our study extends this research program to a population of heritage speakers of Spanish (HS speakers), whose second language (English) is dominant and who have comparable emotional resonances in both of their languages. We compare emotion-neutral and emotion-laden tasks: if reduced emotionality causes the FLe, it should only be present in emotion-laden tasks, but if it is caused by cognitive load, it should be present across tasks. Ninety-eight HS speakers, with varying degrees of proficiency in Spanish, exhibited cognitive biases across a battery of tasks: framing bias appeared in both cognitive-emotional and purely cognitive tasks, consistent with previous studies. Language of presentation (and proficiency) did not have a significant effect on responses in cognitive-emotional tasks, but did have an effect on the purely-cognitive Disjunction fallacy task: HS speakers did better in their second, more proficient language, a result inconsistent with the reduced emotionality hypothesis. Moreover, higher proficiency in Spanish significantly improved the rate of correct responses, indicating that our results are consistent with the cognitive overload hypothesis.

scholarly journals The Development of Subject Position in Dutch-Dominant Heritage Speakers of Spanish: From Age 9 to Adulthood

Languages ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 88
Author(s):  
van Osch ◽  
García González ◽  
Hulk ◽  
Sleeman ◽  
Aalberse
Keyword(s):  
Word Order ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Judgment Task ◽  
Subject Position ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Heritage Speakers ◽  
Heritage Speakers Of Spanish ◽  
Language Literature

This exploratory study investigates the knowledge of word order in intransitive sentences by heritage speakers of Spanish of different age groups: 9-year-olds, 13-year-olds and adults. In doing so, we aim to fill a gap in the heritage language literature, which, to date, has mainly focused on adult heritage speakers and preschool bilingual children. The results from a judgment task reveal that child- and adolescent heritage speakers do not entirely resemble monolingual age-matched children in the acquisition of subjects in Spanish, nor do they assimilate adult heritage speakers. The data suggest that several different processes can occur simultaneously in the acquisition of word order in heritage speakers: monolingual-like acquisition, delayed acquisition, and attrition. An analysis of the influence of extraneous variables suggests that most of these effects are likely to be the consequence of quantitatively reduced input in the heritage language and increased input in the majority language.

scholarly journals The Small and Efficient Language Network of Polyglots and Hyper-polyglots

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-76
Author(s):  
Olessia Jouravlev ◽  
Zachary Mineroff ◽  
Idan A Blank ◽  
Evelina Fedorenko
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Default Mode Network ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Neural Architecture ◽  
Initial Characterization ◽  
The One ◽  
Multiple Languages ◽  
Language Network

Abstract Acquiring a foreign language is challenging for many adults. Yet certain individuals choose to acquire sometimes dozens of languages and often just for fun. Is there something special about the minds and brains of such polyglots? Using robust individual-level markers of language activity, measured with fMRI, we compared native language processing in polyglots versus matched controls. Polyglots (n = 17, including nine “hyper-polyglots” with proficiency in 10–55 languages) used fewer neural resources to process language: Their activations were smaller in both magnitude and extent. This difference was spatially and functionally selective: The groups were similar in their activation of two other brain networks—the multiple demand network and the default mode network. We hypothesize that the activation reduction in the language network is experientially driven, such that the acquisition and use of multiple languages makes language processing generally more efficient. However, genetic and longitudinal studies will be critical to distinguish this hypothesis from the one whereby polyglots’ brains already differ at birth or early in development. This initial characterization of polyglots’ language network opens the door to future investigations of the cognitive and neural architecture of individuals who gain mastery of multiple languages, including changes in this architecture with linguistic experiences.

Differences between Visual Style and Verbal Style Learners in Learning English

2014 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-104
Author(s):  
Chiu-Jung Chen
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Verbal Ability ◽  
Type A ◽  
Learning Performance ◽  
Learning Materials ◽  
Visual Ability ◽  
Learning Content ◽  
Visual Style ◽  
Annotation Type

English proverb is an interested part when learner applied it in real life situation. The participants of this study were chosen from a big university in the middle area of Taiwan. The researchers selected some learners from Department of Foreign Language (DFL) and Department of Non-Foreign Language (DNFL). 40 students were from DFL, and 40 students were from DNFL. According to learner's short-term memory (STM) abilities, the researchers separated participants into four quadrants (Q1-Q4). According to visual style and verbal style of learning style, learning content representation (LCR) types are clarified into Type A, B, C. The research question is that participants with different STM abilities, how different LCR types affect the learning performance of English proverbs? The authors' results described that LCR with pictorial annotation (Type A) help participants with lower verbal ability and higher visual ability (Q2) to have better performance than other three quadrants, because type A participants feel easier to learn content presented in a visual form than in a verbal form. Providing LCR with both written and pictorial annotation (Type C) helps learners best with higher verbal ability and higher visual ability (Q1) in the recognition test. Providing redundancy learning content lead a higher cognitive load and result to irritation and lack of concentration, in accordance with the Cognitive Load theory. It implied that providing simple learning materials (only written annotation, Type B) is useful to participants with lower verbal ability and lower visual ability (Q3). The research results show that instructors should provide suitable learning materials to their learners in accordance with their STM abilities.

scholarly journals What kind of training is required to help language students use metaphor-based strategies to work out the meaning of new vocabulary?

2004 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeannette Littlemore
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Group Training ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Language Students ◽  
The Difference

A study is described, which compared the benefits of two different training approaches in the use of metaphor-based vocabulary guessing strategies for foreign language learners. A group-based, step-by-step approach was compared with a more autonomous approach. The findings suggest that the type of training received affects the students' ability to use these strategies, but not their tendency to use them. The students who participated in the autonomous approach were significantly more successful at using metaphor-based vocabulary guessing strategies than the students who had received the group training. The difference was particularly marked in terms of their successful use of interactive images.

scholarly journals An Exploratory Study into Trade-off Effects of Complexity, Accuracy, and Fluency on Young Learners’ Oral Task Repetition

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evelyn Sample ◽  
Marije Michel
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Recent Literature ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Task Repetition ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
De Se ◽  
The Difference

Studying task repetition for adult and young foreign language learners of English (EFL) has received growing interest in recent literature within the task-based approach (Bygate, 2009; Hawkes, 2012; Mackey, Kanganas, & Oliver, 2007; Pinter, 2007b). Earlier work suggests that second language (L2) learners benefit from repeating the same or a slightly different task. Task repetition has been shown to enhance fluency and may also add to complexity or accuracy of production. However, few investigations have taken a closer look at the underlying relationships between the three dimensions of task performance: complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF). Using Skehan’s (2009) trade-off hypothesis as an explanatory framework, our study aims to fill this gap by investigating interactions among CAF measures. We report on the repeated performances on an oral spot- the-difference task by six 9-year-old EFL learners. Mirroring earlier work, our data reveal significant increases of fluency through task repetition. Correlational analyses show that initial performances that benefit in one dimension come at the expense of another; by the third performance, however, trade-off effects disappear. Further qualitative explanations support our interpretation that with growing task-familiarity students are able to focus their attention on all three CAF dimensions simultaneously.Au sein de la littérature relative à l’approche fondée sur les tâches, on évoque de plus en plus d’études portant sur la répétition des tâches pour l’enseignement de l’anglais langue étrangère aux jeunes et aux adultes (Bygate, 2009; Hawkes, 2012; Mackey, Kanganas, & Oliver, 2007; Pinter, 2007b). Des études antérieures semblent indiquer que les apprenants en L2 profitent de la répétition de la même tâche ou d’une tâche légèrement différente. Il a été démontré que la répétition des tâches améliore la fluidité et qu’elle pourrait augmenter la complexité ou la précision de la production. Toutefois, peu d’études se sont penchées davantage sur les relations sous-jacentes entre les trois dimensions de l’exécution des tâches : la complexité, la précision et la fluidité. S’appuyant sur l’hypothèse du compromis de Skehan (2009) comme cadre explicatif, notre étude vise à combler cette lacune en examinant les interactions entre les mesures de ces trois éléments. Nous faisons rapport du rendement de six jeunes âgés de 9 ans qui apprennent l’anglais comme langue étrangère alors qu’ils répètent une tâche impliquant l’identification de différences. Nos données reproduisent les résultats de travaux antérieurs en ce qu’elles révèlent une amélioration significative de la fluidité par la répétition de tâches. Des analyses corrélationnelles indiquent que l’amélioration d’une dimension lors des exécutions initiales se fait aux dépens d’une autre; cet effet de compromis disparait, toutefois, à la troisième exécution. Des explications quali- tatives supplémentaires viennent appuyer notre interprétation selon laquelle la familiarité croissante que ressentent les élèves avec une tâche leur permet de se concentrer sur les trois dimensions (complexité, précision et fluidité) à la fois.

scholarly journals КОНЦЕПТ-КАРТА ЯК ДІЄВИЙ ЗАСІБ НАВЧАННЯ ІНОЗЕМНОЇ МОВИ

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 22-25
Author(s):  
Nataliia Borysova
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Concept Maps ◽  
Concept Map ◽  
Hierarchical Organization ◽  
Conceptual Mapping ◽  
Approximate Description ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Mind Maps

The article reveals the concept of conceptual mapping in the process of learning a foreign language. It is stated that a concept map is a diagram that shows the relationships between notions. Such maps are graphical tools for organizing and presenting knowledge. It is emphasized that the most useful form of a concept map for teaching and learning is one that is placed in a hierarchical organization, where more general and comprehensive notions are at the top of the map and more specific at the bottom. The difference between concert cards and mind maps is given. It is emphasized that despite a similarity of mind maps and concept maps, these two methods differ in many respects, in particular, concept maps are characterized by clear links between the described ideas and are more structured than mind maps, as a formally approximate description, which places ideas in some sequence and organizes them hierarchically by levels of importance.

scholarly journals Taxing the brain to uncover lying? Meta-analyzing the effect of imposing cognitive load on the reaction-time costs of lying

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Verschuere ◽  
Nils Köbis ◽  
yoella meyer ◽  
David Gertler Rand ◽  
Shaul Shalvi
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Response Time ◽  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Lie Detection ◽  
Mental Effort ◽  
Cognitive Resources ◽  
Truth Telling ◽  
Total N ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Brain

Lying typically requires greater mental effort than telling the truth. Imposing cognitive load may improve lie detection by limiting the cognitive resources needed to lie effectively, thereby increasing the difference in speed between truths and lies. We test this hypothesis meta-analytically. Across 21 studies using response-time (RT) paradigms (11 unpublished; total N = 792), we consistently found that truth telling was faster than lying, but found no evidence that imposing cognitive load increased that difference (Control, d = 1.45; Load, d = 1.28). Instead, load significantly decreased the lie-truth RT difference by increasing the RT of truths, g = -.18, p = .027. Our findings therefore suggest that imposing cognitive load does not necessarily improve RT-based lie detection, and may actually worsen it by taxing the mental system and thus impeding people’s ability to easily—and thus quickly—tell the truth

scholarly journals ‘transformative’ potential of translanguaging and other heteroglossic educational practices

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 266-289
Author(s):  
M. Rafael Salaberry
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Heritage Speakers ◽  
Linguistic Resources ◽  
The Us ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Heritage Speakers Of Spanish

Over the last few decades, there has been an increased awareness about imprecise, inaccurate and, thus, unfair conceptualisations of language based on monoglossic views of language that delegitimise the linguistic repertoire of multilingual minorities as is the case of heritage speakers of Spanish in the US or speakers of Lingua Franca English worldwide. At the same time, there are theoretical and educational proposals that offer new conceptualisations of multilingualism focused on the concept of heteroglossia, which, in contrast with monoglossic views, focuses our attention on the fluid and full use of all linguistic resources available to language learners/users as they engage in the process of interacting with their interlocutors. In the present paper, I describe an important challenge that compromises the valuable agenda of heteroglossic approaches to develop multilingualism: the effect of listeners’ biases and reverse linguistic stereotyping. That is, educational programmes designed to counteract the negative effect of monoglossic approaches to second language learning in general cannot adopt a segregationist approach (neither in their theoretical design nor in their practical implementation). To place this challenge in context, I describe in detail the specific example of Spanish heritage second language learners at the tertiary level of education in the US setting and I also provide a broad outline of potential improvements in the curricular design of such programmes.

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