The bilingual L2 advantage in recognition memory

Abstract

To better understand the mechanisms by which bilingual proficiency impacts memory processes, two recognition memory experiments were conducted with matched monolingual and bilingual samples. In Experiment 1, monolingual speakers of English and Spanish studied high-and low-frequency words under full attention or cognitive load conditions. In Experiment 2, Spanish-English bilingual participants studied high-and low-frequency words under fullattention conditions in each language. For both monolinguals and bilinguals, low-frequency words were better recognized than high-frequency words. The central new findings were that bilingual recognition was more accurate in the less fluent language (L2) than in the more fluent language (L1) and that bilingual L2 recognition was more accurate than monolingual recognition. The bilingual L2 advantage parallels word frequency effects in recognition and is attributed to the greater episodic distinctiveness of L2 words, relative to L1 words.

From Eyewitness to Academic Contexts: Examining the Effect of Misinformation in First and Second Languages

“…Further, this study adds to literature on recognition memory in L1 and L2. Unlike in previous studies (Francis & Gutiérrez, ; Francis & Strobach, ), in the present study, participants actually performed better on a recognition memory task in L1 than in L2. There are two likely sources of the differences in findings from the Francis and colleagues' findings and the present data.…”

“…There are two likely sources of the differences in findings from the Francis and colleagues' findings and the present data. First, participants in Francis and Gutiérrez () and Francis and Strobach () were highly proficient in both languages, while the participants in the present study were unbalanced bilinguals. As noted by Heredia (), level of bilingual proficiency is an important factor in task performance.…”

“…The prediction from the prior data may be that the current participants would show better memory performance on the all‐Spanish than on the all‐English materials, but level of bilingual proficiency is important (Heredia, ). In both prior studies (Francis & Gutiérrez, ; Francis & Strobach, ), participants were highly proficient in both languages, whereas the present study explores the performance of unbalanced bilinguals. Given that the present participants had English as their dominant language, we predicted that they would show more accurate performance in the all‐English condition than in the all‐Spanish condition.…”

“…The misinformation paradigm typically involves recognition tests (e.g., Calvillo, Parong, Peralta, Ocampo, & Van Gundy, ; Paz‐Alonso, Goodman, & Ibabe, ). Prior studies (Francis & Gutiérrez, ; Francis & Strobach, ) reported that bilinguals' recognition memory is higher in their second language (L2) than in their first language (L1). This pattern is most relevant to the present study's comparison of all‐English and all‐Spanish conditions.…”

Effects of Bilingualism on Verbal and Nonverbal Memory Measures in Mild Cognitive Impairment

“…For example, verbal recognition memory for the two languages (L1 vs. L2, or dominant vs. non-dominant) is unequal for healthy bilinguals. There is a so-called bilingual advantage on memory, in which words in L2 are more easily recognized than words in L1 due to reduced interference in the memory system (Francis & Strobach, 2013). Although it would have been ideal to have a larger sample of monolingual Spanish speakers, we compared two groups similar in general cognitive and naming abilities.…”