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Keller L, Viebahn MC, Hervais-Adelman A, Seeber KG. Unpacking the multilingualism continuum: An investigation of language variety co-activation in simultaneous interpreters. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0289484. [PMID: 38015946 PMCID: PMC10684095 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023] Open
Abstract
This study examines the phonological co-activation of a task-irrelevant language variety in mono- and bivarietal speakers of German with and without simultaneous interpreting (SI) experience during German comprehension and production. Assuming that language varieties in bivarietal speakers are co-activated analogously to the co-activation observed in bilinguals, the hypothesis was tested in the Visual World paradigm. Bivarietalism and SI experience were expected to affect co-activation, as bivarietalism requires communication-context based language-variety selection, while SI hinges on concurrent comprehension and production in two languages; task type was not expected to affect co-activation as previous evidence suggests the phenomenon occurs during comprehension and production. Sixty-four native speakers of German participated in an eye-tracking study and completed a comprehension and a production task. Half of the participants were trained interpreters and half of each sub-group were also speakers of Swiss German (i.e., bivarietal speakers). For comprehension, a growth-curve analysis of fixation proportions on phonological competitors revealed cross-variety co-activation, corroborating the hypothesis that co-activation in bivarietals' minds bears similar traits to language co-activation in multilingual minds. Conversely, co-activation differences were not attributable to SI experience, but rather to differences in language-variety use. Contrary to expectations, no evidence for phonological competition was found for either same- nor cross-variety competitors in either production task (interpreting- and word-naming variety). While phonological co-activation during production cannot be excluded based on our data, exploring the effects of additional demands involved in a production task hinging on a language-transfer component (oral translation from English to Standard German) merit further exploration in the light of a more nuanced understanding of the complexity of the SI task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Keller
- Interpreting Department, Faculty of Translation and Interpreting, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Malte C. Viebahn
- Department of Psychology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Kilian G. Seeber
- Interpreting Department, Faculty of Translation and Interpreting, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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2
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Yagura H, Tanaka H, Kinoshita T, Watanabe H, Motomura S, Sudoh K, Nakamura S. Selective Attention Measurement of Experienced Simultaneous Interpreters Using EEG Phase-Locked Response. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:581525. [PMID: 34163336 PMCID: PMC8215497 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.581525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
We quantified the electroencephalogram signals associated with the selective attention processing of experienced simultaneous interpreters and calculated the phase-locked responses evoked by a 40-Hz auditory steady-state response (40-Hz ASSR) and the values of robust inter-trial coherence (ITC) for environmental changes. Since we assumed that an interpreter's attention ability improves with an increase in the number of years of experience of simultaneous interpretation, we divided the participants into two groups based on their simultaneous interpretation experience: experts with more than 15 years of experience (E group; n = 7) and beginners with <1 year (B group; n = 15). We also compared two conditions: simultaneous interpretation (SI) and shadowing (SH). We found a significant interaction in the ITC between years of SI experience (E and B groups) and tasks (SI and SH). This result demonstrates that the number of years of SI experience influences selective attention during interpretation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haruko Yagura
- Division of Information Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Nara, Japan
| | - Hiroki Tanaka
- Division of Information Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Nara, Japan
| | - Taiki Kinoshita
- Division of Information Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Nara, Japan
| | - Hiroki Watanabe
- Division of Information Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Nara, Japan
| | - Shunnosuke Motomura
- Division of Information Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Nara, Japan
| | - Katsuhito Sudoh
- Division of Information Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Nara, Japan
| | - Satoshi Nakamura
- Division of Information Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Nara, Japan
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Ferreira A, Schwieter JW, Festman J. Cognitive and Neurocognitive Effects From the Unique Bilingual Experiences of Interpreters. Front Psychol 2020; 11:548755. [PMID: 33132957 PMCID: PMC7550398 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.548755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
For bilinguals, research suggests that both languages are constantly active and competing in the mind, even when only using one. However, this body of work has reported inconclusive results on the long-term effects of the constant parallel activation and use of more than one language on the brain. This has mostly been due to inconsistent comparisons between groups of bilinguals and monolinguals. Not all bilingualisms are the same. The investigation of the use of more than one language over a lifetime offers the opportunity to better understand the consequences of bilingualism on the brain. However, few studies have specifically looked at the long-standing effects of being an interpreter. In this paper, we review theories from the field of Translation and Interpreting Studies and provide a critical review of work that offers insight on the cognitive and neurocognitive effects that seem to arise from the unique, highly-cognitive-demanding practices experienced by interpreters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aline Ferreira
- Bilingualism, Translation, and Cognition Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - John W Schwieter
- Language Acquisition, Multilingualism, and Cognition Laboratory, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Julia Festman
- Multilingualism Research Team, Institute for Research and Development (IFE), University College of Teacher Education, Tyrol, Austria
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Lai G, O’Brien BA. Examining Language Switching and Cognitive Control Through the Adaptive Control Hypothesis. Front Psychol 2020; 11:1171. [PMID: 32793018 PMCID: PMC7393937 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Accepted: 05/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasing evidence suggests that language switching is a distinct form of bilingual language control that engages cognitive control. The most relevant and widely discussed framework is the Adaptive Control Hypothesis. This theoretical framework identifies language switching to be a key aspect of bilingual language control. It proposes that bilinguals' engagement in three different types of interactional contexts (single-language context, dual-language context, and dense code-switching context) confers adaptive effects on cognitive control processes. These contexts differ in the presence of both languages and how language control is exercised. The model makes predictions about behavioral outcomes associated with these contexts. This study is a novel attempt to test for the model's assumptions, predictions, and its interactional contexts. It seeks to examine the relationship between language switching behaviors, reported bilingual interactional contexts, and verbal and non-verbal cognitive control through this theoretical framework. Seventy-four English-Mandarin young adult bilinguals were measured on their self-reported engagements in the different interactional contexts and production of word and sentential language switches through experimental language switching tasks (alternating, semi-cued, and uncued switching). Cognitive control processes in verbal and non-verbal goal maintenance, interference control, selective response inhibition, and task engagement and disengagement were measured. Overall, partial support for the model was observed. Higher reported engagement in the dual-language context was positively but not uniquely related to cognitive engagement and disengagement on verbal tasks. Non-verbal goal maintenance and interference control, on the other hand, were related to uncued inter-sentential language switching. However, the distinction of the model's three interactional contexts might not be evident in a multilingual society, as findings suggest that there is fluidity in bilinguals' interactional contexts. Current findings reveal the complex interaction of language switching with distinct domains and cognitive control processes. This study is significant in testing an influential bilingual language control model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabrielle Lai
- Centre for Applied Behavioural & Social Sciences, Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Beth A. O’Brien
- National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
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Kałamała P, Szewczyk J, Chuderski A, Senderecka M, Wodniecka Z. Patterns of bilingual language use and response inhibition: A test of the adaptive control hypothesis. Cognition 2020; 204:104373. [PMID: 32585471 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2019] [Revised: 04/27/2020] [Accepted: 06/07/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Given prior studies that provided inconsistent results, there is an ongoing debate on the issue of whether bilingualism benefits cognitive control. We tested the Adaptive Control Hypothesis, according to which only the intense use of different languages in the same situation without mixing them in single utterances (called dual-language context) confers a bilingual advantage in response inhibition. In a large-scale correlational study, we attempted to circumvent several pitfalls of previous research on the bilingual advantage by testing a relatively large sample of participants and employing a more reliable and valid measurement of constructs (i.e., latent variable approach accompanied by Bayesian estimation). Our results do not support the Adaptive Control Hypothesis' prediction: the intensity of the dual-language context experience was unrelated to the efficiency of response inhibition in bilinguals. The results suggest that the Adaptive Control Hypothesis is not likely to account for the inconsistent results regarding the bilingual advantage hypothesis, at least in the case of the response-inhibition mechanism. At the same time, the study points to the problem of measuring the response-inhibition construct at the behavioral level. No evidence for a robust response-inhibition construct adds to the growing skepticism on this issue in the literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrycja Kałamała
- Psychology of Language and Bilingualism Lab, Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Ingardena 6, 30-060 Krakow, Poland.
| | - Jakub Szewczyk
- Psychology of Language and Bilingualism Lab, Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Ingardena 6, 30-060 Krakow, Poland; Department of Psychology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, United States of America
| | - Adam Chuderski
- Institute of Philosophy, Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Grodzka 52, 31-044 Krakow, Poland.
| | - Magdalena Senderecka
- Institute of Philosophy, Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Grodzka 52, 31-044 Krakow, Poland.
| | - Zofia Wodniecka
- Psychology of Language and Bilingualism Lab, Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Ingardena 6, 30-060 Krakow, Poland.
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Dottori M, Hesse E, Santilli M, Vilas MG, Martorell Caro M, Fraiman D, Sedeño L, Ibáñez A, García AM. Task-specific signatures in the expert brain: Differential correlates of translation and reading in professional interpreters. Neuroimage 2020; 209:116519. [PMID: 31923603 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Revised: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 01/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Insights on the neurocognitive particularities of expert individuals have benefited from language studies on professional simultaneous interpreters (PSIs). Accruing research indicates that behavioral advantages in this population are restricted to those skills that are directly taxed during professional practice (e.g., translation as opposed to reading), but little is known about the neural signatures of such selective effects. To illuminate the issue, we recruited 17 PSIs and 15 non-interpreter bilinguals and compared behavioral and electrophysiological markers of word reading and translation from and into their native and non-native languages (L1 and L2, respectively). PSIs exhibited greater delta-theta (1-8 Hz) power across all tasks over varying topographies, but these were accompanied by faster performance only in the case of translation conditions. Moreover, neural differences in PSIs were most marked for L2-L1 translation (the dominant interpreting direction in their market), which exhibited maximally widespread modulations that selectively correlated with behavioral outcomes. Taken together, our results suggest that interpreting experience involves distinct neural signatures across reading and translation mechanisms, but that these are systematically related with processing efficiency only in domains that face elevated demands during everyday practice (i.e., L2-L1 translation). These findings can inform models of simultaneous interpreting, in particular, and expert cognitive processing, in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Dottori
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCYT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina; National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Eugenia Hesse
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCYT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina; National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina; Departamento de Matemática, Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Micaela Santilli
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCYT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Martina G Vilas
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCYT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina; National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Miguel Martorell Caro
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCYT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Daniel Fraiman
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina; Departamento de Matemática, Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Lucas Sedeño
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCYT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina; National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Agustín Ibáñez
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCYT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina; National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina; Universidad Autónoma del Caribe, Barranquilla, Colombia; Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago de Chile, Chile; Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Australian Research Council (ACR), Sydney, Australia
| | - Adolfo M García
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCYT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina; National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina; Faculty of Education, National University of Cuyo (UNCuyo), Mendoza, Argentina.
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Wodniecka Z, Casado A, Kałamała P, Marecka M, Timmer K, Wolna A. The dynamics of language experience and how it affects language and cognition. PSYCHOLOGY OF LEARNING AND MOTIVATION 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.plm.2020.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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Wen H, Dong Y. How does interpreting experience enhance working memory and short-term memory: A meta-analysis. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/20445911.2019.1674857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hao Wen
- School of English Language and Culture, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yanping Dong
- Department of Linguistics, School of International Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
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9
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Nour S, Struys E, Stengers H. Attention Network in Interpreters: The Role of Training and Experience. Behav Sci (Basel) 2019; 9:E43. [PMID: 31018592 PMCID: PMC6523145 DOI: 10.3390/bs9040043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2019] [Revised: 03/20/2019] [Accepted: 04/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship found between interpreting training and experience and the attentional network components: Alerting, orienting, and executive attention using the Attention Network Test (ANT). In the current study we tested three groups of interpreting students, translation students, and professional interpreters as specific forms of multilingual expertise. The student groups were tested longitudinally at the beginning and the end of their Master's programme. The professional interpreters were tested only one point in time. The results showed different attention network dynamics for the interpreting students compared to the translation students regarding alertness and executive network. First, the interpreting students showed a higher conflict effect when the alert cue was presented as well as a reduced accuracy compared to translation students. Second, the interpreting training had less effect on alerting than the translation training. Finally, two student groups showed a faster response time in conflict effect than the professional interpreters. In contrast, the professional interpreters scored a higher accuracy than two-student groups specifically in an incongruent alert condition, which confirms that they used a different responding strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soudabeh Nour
- Brussels Institute for Applied Linguistics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1050 Brussel, Belgium.
- Centre for Neurosciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1050 Brussel, Belgium.
| | - Esli Struys
- Brussels Institute for Applied Linguistics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1050 Brussel, Belgium.
- Centre for Neurosciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1050 Brussel, Belgium.
- Centre for Linguistics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1050 Brussel, Belgium.
| | - Hélène Stengers
- Brussels Institute for Applied Linguistics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1050 Brussel, Belgium.
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Elmer S, Hänggi J, Vaquero L, Cadena GO, François C, Rodríguez-Fornells A. Tracking the microstructural properties of the main white matter pathways underlying speech processing in simultaneous interpreters. Neuroimage 2019; 191:518-528. [PMID: 30831314 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.02.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2018] [Revised: 02/11/2019] [Accepted: 02/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Due to the high linguistic and cognitive demands placed on real-time language translation, professional simultaneous interpreters (SIs) have previously been proposed to serve as a reasonable model for evaluating experience-dependent brain properties. However, currently it is still unknown whether intensive language training during adulthood might be reflected in microstructural changes in language-related white matter pathways contributing to sound-to-meaning mapping, auditory-motor integration, and verbal memory functions. Accordingly, we used a fully automated probabilistic tractography algorithm and compared the white matter microstructure of the bilateral inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF), uncinate fasciculus (UF), and arcuate fasciculus (AF, long and anterior segments) between professional SIs and multilingual control participants. In addition, we classically re-evaluated the three constitutional elements of the AF (long, anterior, and posterior segments) using a deterministic manual dissection procedure. Automated probabilistic tractography demonstrated overall reduced mean fractional anisotropy (FA) and increased radial diffusivity (RD) in SIs in the fiber tracts of the left hemisphere (LH). Furthermore, SIs exhibited reduced mean FA in the bilateral AF. However, according to manual dissection, this effect was limited to the anterior AF segment and accompanied by increased mean RD. Deterministic AF reconstruction also uncovered increased mean FA in the right and RD in the left long AF segment in SIs compared to controls. These results point to a relationship between simultaneous interpreting and white matter organization of pathways underlying speech and language processing in the language-dominant LH as well as of the AF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Elmer
- Cognition and Brain Plasticity Group, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08097, Barcelona, Spain; Division Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Jürgen Hänggi
- Division Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Lucía Vaquero
- Cognition and Brain Plasticity Group, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08097, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Cognition, Development and Education Pychology, University of Barcelona, Passeig de la Vall d'Hebron, 171, 08035, Barcelona, Spain; Laboratory of Motor learning and Neural Plasticity, Concordia University, 7141 Rue Sherbrooke West, H4B 1R6, Montreal, QC, Canada.
| | - Guillem Olivé Cadena
- Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, Campus Bellvitge, University of Barcelona, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08097, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Clément François
- Cognition and Brain Plasticity Group, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08097, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, Campus Bellvitge, University of Barcelona, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08097, Barcelona, Spain; Institut de Recerca Pediàtrica Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain; Aix Marseille University, CNRS, LPL, Aix-en-Provence, France.
| | - Antoni Rodríguez-Fornells
- Cognition and Brain Plasticity Group, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08097, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, Campus Bellvitge, University of Barcelona, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08097, Barcelona, Spain; Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, ICREA, 08010, Barcelona, Spain.
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Van der Linden L, Van de Putte E, Woumans E, Duyck W, Szmalec A. Does Extreme Language Control Training Improve Cognitive Control? A Comparison of Professional Interpreters, L2 Teachers and Monolinguals. Front Psychol 2018; 9:1998. [PMID: 30405488 PMCID: PMC6206226 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2018] [Accepted: 09/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
There is currently a lively debate in the literature whether bilingualism leads to enhanced cognitive control or not. Recent evidence suggests that knowledge of more than one language does not always suffice for the manifestation of a bilingual cognitive control advantage. As a result, ongoing research has focused on modalities of bilingual language use that may interact with the bilingual advantage. In this study, we explored the cognitive control performance of simultaneous interpreters. These highly proficient bilinguals comprehend information in one language while producing in the other language, which is a complex skill requiring high levels of language control. In a first experiment, we compared professional interpreters to monolinguals. Data were collected on interference suppression (flanker task), prepotent response inhibition (Simon task), and short-term memory (digit span task). The results showed that the professional interpreters performed similarly to the monolinguals on all measures. In Experiment 2, we compared professional interpreters to monolinguals and second language teachers. Data were collected on interference suppression (advanced flanker task), prepotent response inhibition (advanced flanker task), attention (advanced flanker task), short-term memory (Hebb repetition paradigm), and updating (n-back task). We found converging evidence for our finding that experience in interpreting may not lead to superior interference suppression, prepotent response inhibition, and short-term memory. In fact, our results showed that the professional interpreters performed similarly to both the monolinguals and the second language teachers on all tested cognitive control measures. We did, however, find anecdotal evidence for a (small) advantage in short-term memory for interpreters relative to monolinguals when analyzing composite scores of both experiments together. Taken together, the results of the current study suggest that interpreter experience does not necessarily lead to general cognitive control advantages. However, there may be small interpreter advantages in short-term memory, suggesting that this might be an important cognitive control aspect of simultaneous interpreting. The results are discussed in the light of ongoing debates about bilingual cognitive control advantages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lize Van der Linden
- Psychological Sciences Research Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | | | - Evy Woumans
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Wouter Duyck
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Arnaud Szmalec
- Psychological Sciences Research Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Institute of Neuroscience, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
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12
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Sun MK. Executive functioning: perspectives on neurotrophic activity and pharmacology. Behav Pharmacol 2018; 29:592-604. [PMID: 30179884 DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0000000000000427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Executive functioning is a high-level cognitive ability, regulating other abilities and behaviors to achieve desired goals. A typical executive task can be defined as the capacity to maintain one's attention on the current task, that is, responding only to the correct but not to distractive stimuli. Impairments of executive functions, or executive dysfunctions, have a growing impact on everyday life and academic achievement and are usually an early feature, and one of the core features, in brain injury and memory and behavioral disorders. Furthermore, emerging evidence indicates that memory therapeutics cannot achieve their clinical benefits in cognition if executive dysfunction is not effectively and simultaneously treated. Improvement of executive functions might be achieved through targeting some signaling pathways in the brain, including the brain-derived neurotrophic factor signaling pathways. These agents may be useful either as stand-alone interventions for patients with executive dysfunction and/or psychiatric and memory disorders or as essential adjuncts to drugs that target the underlying pathology in various brain injury and memory and behavioral disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miao-Kun Sun
- Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
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