Doctoral Dissertation Research: A Novel Approach to Investigate Psychological Processes in Language: Contrasting Bilinguals and Interpreters

博士论文研究：研究语言心理过程的新方法：对比双语者和口译员

• 批准号: 1250638
• 负责人: Andrew Conway
• 金额: $ 1.41万
• 依托单位: Princeton University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-02-15 至 2015-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1250638&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Novel; Approach

In many studies comparing bilinguals to monolinguals, researchers have found that bilinguals outperform monolinguals on certain measures of cognitive control. This is called the bilingual advantage. The bilingual advantage most likely is caused by the bilingual's experience regularly switching between two languages and their respective grammatical properties. In order to appropriately switch between languages, the bilingual must a) control the selection of the target language according to the linguistic environment and b) resolve conflict between competing alternatives. If this hypothesis is true, then 1) the more language switching performed and language conflict resolved, the more cognitive advantage she will have, and 2) the more experience a bilingual has managing language switching and conflict, the more cognitive advantage she will have. In order to investigate this claim, the researchers are recruiting college students in training programs that are either a) being trained to manage low levels of bilingual language switching and conflict such as learning a second language that is a signed language, which competes less with the native spoken language, or b) being trained to manage high levels of bilingual language switching and conflict, specifically simultaneous interpreting. Simultaneous interpreting is a complex cognitive task in which the bilingual must concurrently comprehend and produce two languages with differing grammatical properties. The participants are either beginning or advanced students (in both the low-switch/conflict and the high-switch/conflict groups) so that the role of experience will also be investigated. In addition, the researchers are recruiting both bimodal (signed language-spoken language) bilinguals and unimodal (spoken language-spoken language) bilinguals for each of the groups. A variety of language ability and cognitive ability measures are administered to the participants. The research will speak to differences and similarities between unimodal and bimodal bilinguals, and will investigate the role of cognitive enhancement based on amount of language switching and conflict resolution and experience managing the switching and conflict. It will also contribute to the training of a promising scholar.

在许多比较双语者和单语者的研究中，研究人员发现双语者在某些认知控制方面的表现优于单语者。这就是所谓的双语优势。双语优势最有可能是由双语者经常在两种语言之间转换的经验和各自的语法特性造成的。为了在语言之间进行适当的转换，双语者必须a)根据语言环境控制目标语言的选择，b)解决竞争选择之间的冲突。如果这个假设成立，那么1)语言转换越多，语言冲突解决越多，她的认知优势就越大；2)双语者处理语言转换和冲突的经验越多，她的认知优势就越大。为了调查这一说法，研究人员正在招募大学生参加培训项目，他们要么接受培训，管理低水平的双语语言转换和冲突，比如学习第二语言，这是一种手语，与母语竞争较小，要么接受培训，管理高水平的双语语言转换和冲突，特别是同声传译。同声传译是一项复杂的认知任务，在这项任务中，双语者必须同时理解并产生两种语法性质不同的语言。参与者要么是初级学生，要么是高级学生（包括低转换/冲突组和高转换/冲突组），因此经验的作用也将被调查。此外，研究人员正在为每个小组招募双峰（手语-口语）双语者和单峰（口语-口语）双语者。对参与者进行了多种语言能力和认知能力测试。本研究将探讨单模态和双模态双语者之间的异同，并将探讨基于语言转换和冲突解决的数量以及管理转换和冲突的经验的认知增强的作用。它还将有助于培养一名有前途的学者。