Bilingualism and inhibitory control: Possible confounds with the variables “profession” and “level of education”

Detalhes bibliográficos
Autor(a) principal: Rodrigues, Lisandra Rutkoski
Data de Publicação: 2015
Outros Autores: Zimmer, Márcia Cristina
Tipo de documento: Artigo
Idioma: eng
Título da fonte: Calidoscópio (Online)
Texto Completo: https://revistas.unisinos.br/index.php/calidoscopio/article/view/cld.2015.131.10
Resumo: Recent studies have presented controversial results concerning the bilingual advantage (i.e., bilinguals’ tendency to outperform monolinguals on nonlinguistic interference tasks measuring executive functions (EFs) such as executive control (EC), attention, inhibition, problem solving). Recent research has shown that bilinguals tend to show a more robust advantage in overall reaction times (RTs), rather than an advantage on the magnitude of the interference effect. Irrespective of nature, the so-called bilingual advantage has been found in different age groups, but sometimes no bilingual advantage is actually found. This study investigates the consequences of bilingualism on inhibitory control, focusing on two variables that may compete with the bilingual advantage: “profession” and “level of education”. Two groups of highly-educated middle-aged professionals, businesspeople and teachers/professors, divided into bi/monolinguals, were tested in a nonverbal cognitive task, the Simon task, in order to replicate previous studies which have found a bilingual advantage in the interference effect for the same age group. Although bilinguals outperformed their monolingual counterparts, no signifi cant statistical differences were found in the interference effect, and both language groups were faster in the incongruent trials than in the congruent ones, resulting in null interference effects and thus countering the initial idea that participants always take longer to respond to incongruent trials. Results suggest that certain professional activities, as well as higher levels of education might act as confounds with the bilingual advantage.Keywords: bilingualism, executive functions, inhibitory control.
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spelling Bilingualism and inhibitory control: Possible confounds with the variables “profession” and “level of education”Bilinguismo e controle inibitório: possíveis interferências das variáveis “profissão” e “escolaridade”Recent studies have presented controversial results concerning the bilingual advantage (i.e., bilinguals’ tendency to outperform monolinguals on nonlinguistic interference tasks measuring executive functions (EFs) such as executive control (EC), attention, inhibition, problem solving). Recent research has shown that bilinguals tend to show a more robust advantage in overall reaction times (RTs), rather than an advantage on the magnitude of the interference effect. Irrespective of nature, the so-called bilingual advantage has been found in different age groups, but sometimes no bilingual advantage is actually found. This study investigates the consequences of bilingualism on inhibitory control, focusing on two variables that may compete with the bilingual advantage: “profession” and “level of education”. Two groups of highly-educated middle-aged professionals, businesspeople and teachers/professors, divided into bi/monolinguals, were tested in a nonverbal cognitive task, the Simon task, in order to replicate previous studies which have found a bilingual advantage in the interference effect for the same age group. Although bilinguals outperformed their monolingual counterparts, no signifi cant statistical differences were found in the interference effect, and both language groups were faster in the incongruent trials than in the congruent ones, resulting in null interference effects and thus countering the initial idea that participants always take longer to respond to incongruent trials. Results suggest that certain professional activities, as well as higher levels of education might act as confounds with the bilingual advantage.Keywords: bilingualism, executive functions, inhibitory control.Estudos recentes apresentaram resultados controversos quanto à vantagem bilíngue (i.e., tendência de bilíngues de superar monolíngues em tarefas de interferência não-linguística que medem funções executivas (FEs) como controle executivo (CE), atenção, inibição, resolução de problemas). Pesquisas recentes mostraram que bilíngues tendem a apresentar vantagem mais robusta em tempos de reação (TRs) globais do que na magnitude do efeito de interferência. Independentemente de sua natureza, a chamada vantagem bilíngue já foi achada em diferentes grupos etários, mas às vezes nenhuma vantagem bilíngue é encontrada. Este estudo investiga as consequências do bilinguismo no controle inibitório, focando em duas variáveis que podem competir com a vantagem bilíngue: “profissão” e “escolaridade”. Dois grupos de adultos de meia-idade com alta escolaridade, executivos e professores, divididos em bi/monolíngues, foram testados em uma tarefa cognitiva não-verbal, a tarefa de Simon, a fi m de replicar estudos prévios que encontraram uma vantagem bilíngue quanto ao efeito de interferência no mesmo grupo etário. Embora os bilíngues tenham superado seus pares monolíngues, nenhuma diferença significativa foi encontrada no efeito de interferência, e ambos os grupos linguísticos foram mais rápidos nos ensaios incongruentes do que nos congruentes, resultando em efeitos de interferência nulos, contrariando a ideia inicial de que os participantes sempre demoram mais para responder aos ensaios incongruentes. Os resultados sugerem que certas atividades profissionais, bem como altos níveis de escolaridade, podem interferir com a vantagem bilíngue.Palavras-chave: bilinguismo, funções executivas, controle inibitório.Unisinos2015-05-07info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionapplication/pdfhttps://revistas.unisinos.br/index.php/calidoscopio/article/view/cld.2015.131.10Calidoscópio; Vol. 13 No. 1 (2015): January/April; 104-112Calidoscópio; v. 13 n. 1 (2015): janeiro/abril; 104-1122177-6202reponame:Calidoscópio (Online)instname:Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS)instacron:Unisinosenghttps://revistas.unisinos.br/index.php/calidoscopio/article/view/cld.2015.131.10/4640Rodrigues, Lisandra RutkoskiZimmer, Márcia Cristinainfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess2015-09-29T12:35:24Zoai:ojs2.revistas.unisinos.br:article/8269Revistahttps://revistas.unisinos.br/index.php/calidoscopioPUBhttps://revistas.unisinos.br/index.php/calidoscopio/oaicmira@unisinos.br || cmira@unisinos.br2177-62022177-6202opendoar:2015-09-29T12:35:24Calidoscópio (Online) - Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS)false
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Bilingualism and inhibitory control: Possible confounds with the variables “profession” and “level of education”
Bilinguismo e controle inibitório: possíveis interferências das variáveis “profissão” e “escolaridade”
title Bilingualism and inhibitory control: Possible confounds with the variables “profession” and “level of education”
spellingShingle Bilingualism and inhibitory control: Possible confounds with the variables “profession” and “level of education”
Rodrigues, Lisandra Rutkoski
title_short Bilingualism and inhibitory control: Possible confounds with the variables “profession” and “level of education”
title_full Bilingualism and inhibitory control: Possible confounds with the variables “profession” and “level of education”
title_fullStr Bilingualism and inhibitory control: Possible confounds with the variables “profession” and “level of education”
title_full_unstemmed Bilingualism and inhibitory control: Possible confounds with the variables “profession” and “level of education”
title_sort Bilingualism and inhibitory control: Possible confounds with the variables “profession” and “level of education”
author Rodrigues, Lisandra Rutkoski
author_facet Rodrigues, Lisandra Rutkoski
Zimmer, Márcia Cristina
author_role author
author2 Zimmer, Márcia Cristina
author2_role author
dc.contributor.author.fl_str_mv Rodrigues, Lisandra Rutkoski
Zimmer, Márcia Cristina
description Recent studies have presented controversial results concerning the bilingual advantage (i.e., bilinguals’ tendency to outperform monolinguals on nonlinguistic interference tasks measuring executive functions (EFs) such as executive control (EC), attention, inhibition, problem solving). Recent research has shown that bilinguals tend to show a more robust advantage in overall reaction times (RTs), rather than an advantage on the magnitude of the interference effect. Irrespective of nature, the so-called bilingual advantage has been found in different age groups, but sometimes no bilingual advantage is actually found. This study investigates the consequences of bilingualism on inhibitory control, focusing on two variables that may compete with the bilingual advantage: “profession” and “level of education”. Two groups of highly-educated middle-aged professionals, businesspeople and teachers/professors, divided into bi/monolinguals, were tested in a nonverbal cognitive task, the Simon task, in order to replicate previous studies which have found a bilingual advantage in the interference effect for the same age group. Although bilinguals outperformed their monolingual counterparts, no signifi cant statistical differences were found in the interference effect, and both language groups were faster in the incongruent trials than in the congruent ones, resulting in null interference effects and thus countering the initial idea that participants always take longer to respond to incongruent trials. Results suggest that certain professional activities, as well as higher levels of education might act as confounds with the bilingual advantage.Keywords: bilingualism, executive functions, inhibitory control.
publishDate 2015
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dc.source.none.fl_str_mv Calidoscópio; Vol. 13 No. 1 (2015): January/April; 104-112
Calidoscópio; v. 13 n. 1 (2015): janeiro/abril; 104-112
2177-6202
reponame:Calidoscópio (Online)
instname:Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS)
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