Psy1302 Psychology of Language Bilingualism, L2, and Interesting Questions

Bilingualism & Neurolinguistics Kim, Relkin, Lee, & Hirsch (1997) Supplemental to Guest Lecture Task: Have bilinguals imagine speaking in one language. Then imagine speaking in the other language. Task: Have bilinguals imagine speaking in one language. Then imagine speaking in the other language. Vary: late and early bilinguals Vary: late and early bilinguals

Bilingualism & Neurolinguistics Kim, Relkin, Lee, & Hirsch (1997) Broca’s Area: Areas quite distinct for Late Bilinguals, but high overlap for Early Bilinguals. Wernicke’s Area: High overlap for both late and early bilinguals.

Two Lexicons L1 L2 Attend Ignore Slides Adapted from Bialystok Causing lexical conflict! Lexical Retrieval and Executive Function

Receptive Vocabulary PPVT (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test) PPVT (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test) –Examiner provides meaning, and Examinee picks picture. Combined # of Ss: N=528 Combined # of Ss: N=528 –5 y.o. = 97 –6 y.o. = 341 –7 y.o. = 56 –8 y.o. = 34 Lexical Retrieval and Executive Function Score

Lexical Retrieval Boston Picture Naming Boston Picture Naming Letter and category fluency Letter and category fluency –Name words that begin with “F” –Name words in the category “Animals” Lexical Retrieval and Executive Function

Two Lexicons L1 L2 Attend Ignore Switching requires executive control. Lexical Retrieval and Executive Function

Pre-frontal Cortex and Executive Function bin/visearch?user=pbs- saf&template=play220asf.html&query= %2A&squery=%2BClipID%3A3+%2BVi deoAsset%3Apbssaf1302&inputField=% 20&entire=No&ccstart=608200&ccend= &videoID=pbssaf bin/visearch?user=pbs- saf&template=play220asf.html&query= %2A&squery=%2BClipID%3A3+%2BVi deoAsset%3Apbssaf1302&inputField=% 20&entire=No&ccstart=608200&ccend= &videoID=pbssaf bin/visearch?user=pbs- saf&template=play220asf.html&query= %2A&squery=%2BClipID%3A3+%2BVi deoAsset%3Apbssaf1302&inputField=% 20&entire=No&ccstart=608200&ccend= &videoID=pbssaf bin/visearch?user=pbs- saf&template=play220asf.html&query= %2A&squery=%2BClipID%3A3+%2BVi deoAsset%3Apbssaf1302&inputField=% 20&entire=No&ccstart=608200&ccend= &videoID=pbssaf1302 “Why kids don’t get it” “Why kids don’t get it” Lexical Retrieval and Executive Function

Development of Executive Processes Last area of brain (frontal lobes) to mature Last cognitive skills to develop in childhood, first to decline with aging Children typically develop control over attention and inhibition at about 5 years Experience in managing two languages may promote this development Lexical Retrieval and Executive Function

Sorting Tasks Sorting Tasks Bialystok (1999); Bialystok & Martin (2004) (4.5 y.o. – 6.5 y.o.) Perceptual yellow vs. green square vs. circle Conceptual play things vs. clothing things inside the house vs. things outside the house. Lexical Retrieval and Executive Function

Post-Switch Scores Post-Switch Scores Bialystok (1999); Bialystok & Martin (2004) * NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MONO & BI PRE-SWITCH!!! Lexical Retrieval and Executive Function

Embedded vs. Reversible Figures Embedded vs. Reversible Figures Bialystok & Shapero (2005) 5 ½years olds – –27 Monolinguals – –26 Bilinguals Lexical Retrieval and Executive Function Embedded Figure Reversible Figures

Embedded vs. Reversible Figures Embedded vs. Reversible Figures Bialystok & Shapero (2005) Embedded Figure Task requires pattern analysis to find the hidden component. There is no conflict. Reversible Figure Task requires re-assigning a meaning that conflicts with the current interpretation. – –It must stop being “a face” for the image to reverse to “saxophone player”. Effect of bilingualism advantage is in processing conflict – i.e., Ambiguous Figure Task Lexical Retrieval and Executive Function

Simon Task When you see RED, tap with your right hand. When you see BLUE, tap with your left hand. Lexical Retrieval and Executive Function

Simon Task Martin & Bialystok Lexical Retrieval and Executive Function (Incongruent – Congruent)

Bilingualism and Aging: Simon Task Bialystok, Craik, Klein, & Viswanathan (2004) Lexical Retrieval and Executive Function

Control Data by Decade * Groups matched by intelligence test, language proficiency, & working memory. Lexical Retrieval and Executive Function

Bilingualism and Aging: Simon Task Bialystok, Craik, Klein, & Viswanathan (2004) Lexical Retrieval and Executive Function

Simon Task Data by Decade Lexical Retrieval and Executive Function

Stroop Task: Word Condition blackgreenredblueblackbluegreenblue blueyellowgreenyellowblackredredblue yellow green blue yellow red blue green Lexical Retrieval and Executive Function

Stroop Task: Color Naming xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxx Lexical Retrieval and Executive Function

Stroop Task: Test (Incongruent vs. Congruent) greenblackblueyellowblackblueblackgreen redblueyellowredgreenbrownblackblue yellow green blue red black green blue yellow Lexical Retrieval and Executive Function

Stroop Task Design Test: Name the print color Congruent Trials Incongruent Trials Read the Word Name the Color Correct answer for all 4 trial types = “RED” Control Conditions Lexical Retrieval and Executive Function

Control Conditions Lexical Retrieval and Executive Function

Stroop Data (Bilingual advantage, Bilingual Aging advantage) Lexical Retrieval and Executive Function

Relevance of lab studies? Newest study show bilinguals out-perform monolinguals in driving simulations. Newest study show bilinguals out-perform monolinguals in driving simulations. Lexical Retrieval and Executive Function But I would not recommend this EVEN if you are a bilingual!!! Don’t try this at home (or out on the road)!

Summary of Bilingual Effect on Cognition Disadvantages for lexical retrieval Vocabulary – –PPVT Fluency – –Fluency and Boston Naming Advantages for executive function Control of attention – –Simon task, Stroop task Switching – –Reversible Figures, Card Sort Lexical Retrieval and Executive Function

Second Language Learning (Snow 1998) Some Practical Qs: How can we improve foreign language teaching? How can we improve foreign language teaching? How can we decide if children should be in mainstream classrooms or taking classes in English as a second language? How can we decide if children should be in mainstream classrooms or taking classes in English as a second language? Is it confusing or too difficult for children to grow up learning two languages simultaneously? Is it confusing or too difficult for children to grow up learning two languages simultaneously? Questions

Some Questions you posed… Do children learning two separate languages at the same time separate the two? Do children learning two separate languages at the same time separate the two? Can a person ever completely lose a language they acquired before puberty? Can a person ever completely lose a language they acquired before puberty? –Can we recover the lost language? –Social factors in language learning. Is it easier for people whose native language is considered hard to acquire new languages? Is it easier for people whose native language is considered hard to acquire new languages? –Language transfer L1 helps L2 learning L1 helps L2 learning L1 interferes with L2 learning L1 interferes with L2 learning Is there a critical period for L2? Is there a critical period for L2? Questions: from Discussion Forum

Overhearing a language during childhood Au, Knightly, Jun, Oh (2002) 2 nd year Spanish learning students; L1 = English 2 nd year Spanish learning students; L1 = English Exposed Group: Heard Spanish for several hrs each week between birth to 6 y.o. for at least 3 years (M = 9.3hr/wk, SE = 3.7hr/wk). Less from 6 y.o. to 12 y.o. (M = 3.7 hr/wk, SE = 1.2 hr/wk). Exposed Group: Heard Spanish for several hrs each week between birth to 6 y.o. for at least 3 years (M = 9.3hr/wk, SE = 3.7hr/wk). Less from 6 y.o. to 12 y.o. (M = 3.7 hr/wk, SE = 1.2 hr/wk). No Exposure Group: Did not hear Spanish. No Exposure Group: Did not hear Spanish. Questions

Bottom-line: Phonology Benefits!

Parenting… Does this mean we should play infants CDs or DVDs from other languages? Does this mean we should play infants CDs or DVDs from other languages? Questions

Kuhl, Tsao, Liu (2002) Infants in monolingual English environments were brought into lab for 12 sessions (25 min each) during a period of 4 wks. Infants in monolingual English environments were brought into lab for 12 sessions (25 min each) during a period of 4 wks. 2 groups of 9 months-old infants 2 groups of 9 months-old infants –Test infants: exposed to Mandarin –Control infants: exposed to English Varied whether mode of exposure Varied whether mode of exposure –Played w/ and read to by Experimenter –By Audio –By TV After training, infants tested on phonemic contrast in Mandarin, but not English using head-turn paradigm. After training, infants tested on phonemic contrast in Mandarin, but not English using head-turn paradigm. Questions

Kuhl, Tsao, Liu (2002) Questions

Kuhl, Tsao, Liu (2002) Questions CONCLUSIONS?

Question you posed… Can a person ever completely lose a language they acquired before puberty? Can a person ever completely lose a language they acquired before puberty? –Can they recover the lost language? –Social factors in language learning Subtractive Bilingualism Subtractive Bilingualism –Spanish (L1) speaking children learning English (L2) may lose Spanish (L1) Additive Bilingualism Additive Bilingualism –English (L1) speaking children learning Spanish (L2) will not lose English (L1) Posted Discussion Forum Question

Question you posed… Is it easier for people whose native language is considered hard to acquire new languages? Is it easier for people whose native language is considered hard to acquire new languages? –Language transfer L1 helps L2 learning L1 helps L2 learning L1 interferes with L2 learning L1 interferes with L2 learning Examples of interference? Examples of interference? Phonology Phonology Japanese and Chinese speakers use of articles (a, the) Japanese and Chinese speakers use of articles (a, the) Insertion of “do” in questions by German & French Insertion of “do” in questions by German & French –“know you where the bus is?” Perfect/Progressive marker by Hebrew speakers which only has past/present. Perfect/Progressive marker by Hebrew speakers which only has past/present. Posted Discussion Forum Question

Question you posed… Is there a critical period for L2? Is there a critical period for L2? –What do you think, and why? –Does it matter which aspect of language? Word learning Word learning Morphology Morphology Syntax Syntax Posted Discussion Forum Question

Prepositions (closed class words): no effects 1. Objects contained by vs. supported by containers e.g. “ball in” vs. “on the container”

Prepositions (closed class words): no effects 2. Objects folded vs. spread underneath other objects e.g. “foil under 1 ” vs. “under 2 the bowl”

Prepositions (closed class words): AOA effects 1. People relative to object-regions vs. supporters e.g. “in the seats” vs. “on the sofa” AOA = Age of Arrival

Prepositions (closed class words): AOA effects 2. Indentations vs. images relative to surfaces: e.g. “crack in” vs. “paint on pavement”:

Prepositions (closed class words): AOA effects 3. Top members vs. other members relative to set: e.g. “red book on stack” vs. “in stack”

Prepositions (closed class words): AOA effects 4. Locations relative to political vs. geographic entities: e.g. “airport in the city” vs. “on the island”

Prepositions (closed class words): AOA effects 5. Substances higher than vs. touching top surface e.g. “chocolate over” vs. “on the orange”

Prepositions (closed class words): AOA effects 6. People relative to mass transit vs. small vehicles: e.g. “on the ferry” vs. “in the canoe”