Abstract
The present longitudinal study was intended to investigate whether the two bilingual experiences of written translation and consecutive interpreting (featured with similar language switching experience but different processing demands) would produce different cognitive control effects in young adults. Three groups of Chinese–English young adult bilinguals, who differed mainly in their half-year long bilingual experience: one for general L2 training, one for written translation and one for oral consecutive interpreting, were tested twice on the number Stroop, switching color-shape and N-back tasks. The results show that the interpreting experience produced significant cognitive advantages in switching (switch cost) and updating, while the translating experience produced marginally significant improvements in updating. The findings indicate that the experience of language switching under higher processing demands brings more domain-general advantages, suggesting that processing demand may be a decisive factor for the presence or absence of the hot-debated bilingual advantages.
Highlights
It is believed that pervasive experience can leave its mark on the development of mind and brain
The present study has taken several steps to overcome some of the flaws and weaknesses in the literature, hoping to find a way forward, which may provide some clues for the bilingual advantage issue, and which may further help to establish the types of bilingual experience that produce relatively quick gains in cognitive control
The present longitudinal study was intended to investigate whether the two specific bilingual experiences of written
Summary
It is believed that pervasive experience can leave its mark on the development of mind and brain. There have been dissenting voices (e.g., Paap and Greenberg, 2013) or cautious voices (e.g., Hilchey and Klein, 2011) in recent years. This controversy has turned into a hot debate, especially after a recent issue of Bilingualism: Language and Cognition (a series of commentaries on the key article by Valian, 2015) and a recent issue of Cortex (a series of commentaries on the key article by Paap et al, 2015). The present study has taken several steps to overcome some of the flaws and weaknesses in the literature, hoping to find a way forward, which may provide some clues for the bilingual advantage issue, and which may further help to establish the types of bilingual experience that produce relatively quick gains in cognitive control
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