| Literature DB >> 27199800 |
Hwajin Yang1, Andree Hartanto1, Sujin Yang2.
Abstract
In view of inconsistent findings regarding bilingual advantages in executive functions (EF), we reviewed the literature to determine whether bilinguals' different language usage causes measureable changes in the shifting aspects of EF. By drawing on the theoretical framework of the adaptive control hypothesis-which postulates a critical link between bilinguals' varying demands on language control and adaptive cognitive control (Green and Abutalebi, 2013), we examined three factors that characterize bilinguals' language-switching experience: (a) the interactional context of conversational exchanges, (b) frequency of language switching, and (c) typology of code-switching. We also examined whether methodological variations in previous task-switching studies modulate task-specific demands on control processing and lead to inconsistencies in the literature. Our review demonstrates that not only methodological rigor but also a more finely grained, theory-based approach will be required to understand the cognitive consequences of bilinguals' varied linguistic practices in shifting EF.Entities:
Keywords: bilingualism; mixing costs; shifting EF; switch costs; task switching; the adaptive control hypothesis
Year: 2016 PMID: 27199800 PMCID: PMC4842781 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00560
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Front Psychol ISSN: 1664-1078
Summary of studies examining bilingual benefit using a task-switching paradigm (task-cuing paradigm) in adults.
| Garbin et al., | Bilinguals ( | Young adult (20.9) | 60 trials (30 mixed-switch and 30 mixed-repeat) | Verbal | overlapping | 50% | Switch-cost advantages in bilinguals |
| Prior and MacWhinney, | Bilinguals ( | Young adult (19.1) | 288 trials (144 pure-repeat, 72 mixed-switch and 72 mixed-repeat) sandwich design | Non-verbal | non-overlapping | 100% | Switch-cost advantages in bilinguals |
| Prior and Gollan, | Spanish-English bilinguals ( | Young adult (19.9) | 288 trials (144 pure-repeat, 72 mixed-switch and 72 mixed-repeat) | Non-verbal | non-overlapping | 100% | Relative switch-cost advantages after controlling for parents' educational level in Spanish-English bilinguals, but not in Chinese-English bilinguals |
| Soveri et al., | Finnish-Swedish bilinguals ( | Older adult (52.8) | 144 trials (64 pure-repeat, 32 mixed-switch, and 48 mixed-repeat) | Non-verbal | overlapping | 50% | Mixing-cost advantages in high language switching bilinguals |
| Hernández et al., | Bilinguals ( | Young adult (19.9) | 288 trials (144 pure-repeat, 72 mixed-switch and 72 mixed-repeat) | Non-verbal | non-overlapping | 100% | No bilingual advantages |
| Paap and Greenberg, | Bilinguals ( | Young adult (NA) | 288 trials (144 pure-repeat, 72 mixed-switch and 72 mixed-repeat) | Non-verbal | non-overlapping | 100% | No bilingual advantages |
| Gold et al., | Older adult bilinguals ( | Older adult (63.7) | 240 trials (80 pure-repeat, 80 mixed-switch, 80 mixed-repeat) | Verbal | overlapping | 50% | Mixing-cost advantages in bilinguals |
| Gold et al., | Older adult bilinguals ( | Young adult (31.9) and Older adult (64.2) | 240 trials (80 pure-repeat, 80 mixed-switch, 80 mixed-repeat) | Verbal | overlapping | 50% | No bilingual advantages ( |
| Paap and Sawi, | Bilinguals ( | Young adult (24.6) | 288 trials (144 pure-repeat, 72 mixed-switch and 72 mixed-repeat) | Non-verbal | non-overlapping | 100% | No bilingual advantages |
| Wiseheart et al., | Bilinguals ( | Young adult (19.1) | 150 trials (50 pure-repeat, 50 mixed-switch and 50 mixed-repeat) | Non-verbal | overlapping | 0% | Mixing-cost advantages in bilinguals |
| Mor et al., | Bilinguals with ADHD ( | Young adult (24.6) | 288 trials (144 pure-repeat, 72 mixed-switch and 72 mixed-repeat) sandwich design | Non-verbal | non-overlapping | 100% | No bilingual advantages |
| Qu et al., | Chinese-English bilinguals ( | Young adult (21.1) | 118 trials (40 pure-repeat, 10 mixed-switch, and 68 mixed-repeat) | Verbal | overlapping | 0% | Bilingual advantages in switch costs and monolingual advantages in mixing costs |
| Qu et al., | Chinese-English bilinguals ( | Young adult (21.1) | 118 trials (40 pure-repeat, 10 mixed-switch, and 68 mixed-repeat) | Verbal | overlapping | 0% | Bilingual advantages in switch costs |
| Qu et al., | Chinese-English bilinguals ( | Young adult (21.1) | 118 trials (40 pure-repeat, 10 mixed-switch, and 68 mixed-repeat) | Verbal | overlapping | 0% | Bilingual advantages in switch costs |
| Qu et al., | Chinese-English bilinguals ( | Young adult (21.1) | 118 trials (40 pure-repeat, 10 mixed-switch, and 68 mixed-repeat) | Verbal | overlapping | 0% | No bilingual advantages |
| Houtzager et al., | Dutch-Frisian bilinguals ( | Older adult (60.2) | 192 trials (96 pure-repeat, 48 mixed-switch, and 48 mixed-repeat) | Non-verbal | non-overlapping | 100% | Bilingual advantages in switch costs |
CSI, cue-to-stimulus interval; RCI, response-to-cue interval; RC, response compatibility; SCL, single-language context; DCL, dual-language context.
Overlapping response mapping occurs when each response key is assigned to two responses (e.g., “green” and “triangle”) on the color vs. shape tasks, while non-overlapping response mapping occurs when each response key is assigned to only one response (e.g., “green”).
RC (response compatibility) indicates the proportion of trials in which the stimulus and response are compatible in the color-shape switching task. For instance, on compatible trials, the bivalent stimulus (e.g., “green triangle”) correctly matches the response associated with “green” and “triangle.”
Qu et al. (2015) manipulated the cognitive demands of suppression and activation across 4 different task-switching tasks. ScAc, suppress one set of conflicting responses while simultaneously activating another set of conflicting responses; ScAϵ, suppress one set of conflicting responses while simultaneously activating another set of non-conflicting responses; SϵAc, suppress one set of non-conflicting responses while simultaneously activating another set of conflicting responses; SϵAϵ, suppress one set of non-conflicting responses while simultaneously activating another set of non-conflicting responses.
Summary of studies examining bilingual advantages in task-switching among young children.
| Bialystok, | Bilinguals ( | 4.9 | DCCS | 20 trials (10 pre-switch trials and 10 post-switch trials) | Post-switch accuracy advantages in bilinguals |
| Bialystok and Martin, | Chinese-English bilinguals ( | 4.9 | Computerized DCCS | 80 trials (20 non-switch trials, 30 pre-switch trials, and 30 post-switch trials) | Post-switch accuracy advantages in bilinguals |
| English monolinguals ( | |||||
| Carlson and Meltzoff, | Spanish-English bilinguals ( | 6.0 | Advanced DCCS | 20 trials (16 shape trials and 4 color trials) | Post-switch accuracy advantages in bilinguals |
| Language immersion children ( | |||||
| Monolinguals ( | |||||
| Barac and Bialystok, | Chinese-English bilinguals ( | 6.1 | Color-shape task switching | 200 trials (50 pure-repeat trials, and 150 trials with 50% of switch and 50% of repeat) | Mixing-cost advantages in all bilingual groups |
| French-English bilinguals ( | |||||
| Spanish-English bilinguals ( | |||||
| English monolingual ( |
DCCS = Dimension Change Card Sort task.