Bilingualism and cognition: A focus on mechanisms

Valian, Virginia

doi:10.1017/s1366728914000698

Cited by 85 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Details of their background information were presented in the first half of Table 2 “background characteristics,” including L2-related factors (tested L2 proficiency, self-rated L2 proficiency, self-rated L2 use, AoA) and more biological and social factors (age, IQ, parents’ education). Such information was collected to ensure that confounding factors (e.g., Dong and Li, 2015; Valian, 2015) would be controlled.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…But there have been dissenting voices (e.g., Paap and Greenberg, 2013) or cautious voices (e.g., Hilchey and Klein, 2011) in recent years. This controversy has turned into a hot debate, especially after a recent issue of Bilingualism: Language and Cognition (a series of commentaries on the key article by Valian, 2015) and a recent issue of Cortex (a series of commentaries on the key article by Paap et al, 2015). Experts on the topic have expressed their warnings against methodological flaws (see Paap, 2014, for example), theoretical weaknesses (see Jared, 2015, for example), and interpretation biases (see Morton, 2015, for example).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Classes in Translating and Interpreting Produce Differential Gains in Switching and Updating

Dong

Liu

2016

Front. Psychol.

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The present longitudinal study was intended to investigate whether the two bilingual experiences of written translation and consecutive interpreting (featured with similar language switching experience but different processing demands) would produce different cognitive control effects in young adults. Three groups of Chinese–English young adult bilinguals, who differed mainly in their half-year long bilingual experience: one for general L2 training, one for written translation and one for oral consecutive interpreting, were tested twice on the number Stroop, switching color-shape and N-back tasks. The results show that the interpreting experience produced significant cognitive advantages in switching (switch cost) and updating, while the translating experience produced marginally significant improvements in updating. The findings indicate that the experience of language switching under higher processing demands brings more domain-general advantages, suggesting that processing demand may be a decisive factor for the presence or absence of the hot-debated bilingual advantages.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Classes in Translating and Interpreting Produce Differential Gains in Switching and Updating

Dong

Liu

2016

Front. Psychol.

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“…However, other models assume that some control processes occur outside language processing (e.g., ICM and BIA+). This typically means that language control is part of general cognitive control (for a recent review, see Valian, 2015). In the framework of the ICM, for example, this is represented by control processes between language schemas.…”

Section: Processing Stages Outside Of Language Processingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Weissberger et al (2012) observed an increase of task mixing cost (color/shape decision) with increasing age when testing English-Spanish bilinguals, whereas task switch costs did not. With respect to language switching (digit naming in L1/L2), both mixing costs (see also , 2015 and switch costs (see also Gollan & Ferreira, 2009) increased with age. In summary, these aging studies seem to indicate little overlap between language and task switching.…”

Section: Processing Stages Outside Of Language Processingmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of control processes and their locus in language switching

2015

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Language switching has been one of the main tasks to investigate language control, a process that restricts bilingual language processing to the target language. In the current review, we discuss the How (i.e., mechanisms) and Where (i.e., locus of these mechanisms) of language control in language switching. As regards the mechanisms of language control, we describe several empirical markers of language switching and their relation to inhibition, as a potentially important mechanism of language control. From this overview it becomes apparent that some, but not all, markers indicate the occurrence of inhibition during language switching and, thus, language control. In a second part, we turn to the potential locus of language control and the role of different processing stages (concept level, lemma level, phonology, orthography, and outside language processing). Previous studies provide evidence for the employment of several of these processing stages during language control so that either a complex control mechanism involving different processing stages and/or multiple loci of language control have to be assumed. Based on the discussed results, several established and new theoretical avenues are considered.

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“…This question is particularly pertinent to current controversies surrounding the exact type of tasks in which a “bilingualism effect” can be detected. Although, as discussed above, there is a considerable controversy as to whether cognitive differences between monolinguals and bilinguals exist at all, there is a broad consensus that if such differences exist, they would be found above all in the area of executive functions (Bak, 2016a, Valian, 2015). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bilingualism, social cognition and executive functions: A tale of chickens and eggs

et al. 2016

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The influence of bilingualism on cognitive functioning is currently a topic of intense scientific debate. The strongest evidence for a cognitive benefit of bilingualism has been demonstrated in executive functions. However, the causal direction of the relationship remains unclear: does learning other languages improve executive functions or are people with better executive abilities more likely to become bilingual?To address this, we examined 90 male participants of the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936; 26 were bilingual, 64 monolingual. All participants underwent an intelligence test at age 11 years and were assessed on a wide range of executive and social cognition tasks at age 74. The only notable differences between both groups were found for the Simon Effect (which indexes stimulus-response conflict resolution; β=−.518, p=0.025) and a trend effect for the Faux Pas task (a measure of complex theory of mind; ToM, β=0.432, p=0.060). Controlling for the influence of childhood intelligence, parental and own social class significantly attenuated the bilingual advantage on the Faux Pas test (β=0.058, p=0.816), whereas the Simon task advantage remained (β=−.589, p=0.049).We find some weak evidence that the relationship between bilingualism and cognitive functions may be selective and bi-directional. Pre-existing cognitive and social class differences from childhood may influence both ToM ability in older age and the likelihood of learning another language; yet, bilingualism does not appear to independently contribute to Faux Pas score. Conversely, learning a second language is related to better conflict processing, irrespective of initial childhood ability or social class.

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Bilingualism and cognition: A focus on mechanisms

Cited by 85 publications

References 14 publications

Classes in Translating and Interpreting Produce Differential Gains in Switching and Updating

Classes in Translating and Interpreting Produce Differential Gains in Switching and Updating

A review of control processes and their locus in language switching

Bilingualism, social cognition and executive functions: A tale of chickens and eggs

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