The effect of language experience on a bilingual's ability to process arithmetic and other memorized facts

语言经验对双语者处理算术和其他记忆事实的能力的影响

• 批准号: 10319396
• 负责人: Vanessa Cerda
• 金额: $ 4.23万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SAN ANTONIO
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-07-01 至 2023-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10319396
• 关键词: Address; Adult; Affect; Applications Grants; Area; Arithmetic; Basic Science; Behavior; Brain; Brain imaging; Brain region; Child; Child Development; Cognition; Cognitive; Coupled; Data; Development; Disadvantaged; Education; Environment; Event-Related Potentials; Fellowship; Foundations; Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Future Generations; Goals; Grant; Growth; Instruction; Knowledge; Language; Language Development; Learning; Literature; Mathematics; Measures; Memory; Mentorship; Methodology; Methods; Modeling; Neurocognitive; Outcomes Research; Parietal Lobe; Performance; Population; Process; Publications; Reaction Time; Reporting; Research; Research Methodology; Research Personnel; Research Project Grants; Retrieval; Schools; Science; Students; Technology; Temporal Lobe; Testing; Time; Training; Translations; United States; Work; Writing; base; behavior measurement; bilingualism; career; career development; career networking; demographics; experience; experimental study; imaging modality; indexing; innovation; interdisciplinary approach; mathematical model; mathematical sciences; memory process; method development; multimodality; neural network; neuroimaging; peer; post-doctoral training; pre-doctoral; programs; relating to nervous system; response; skills; support network; tool

PROJECT SUMMARY In the United States, English is the primary language of instruction and testing in most schools. However, many bilingual students entering US schools learned foundational concepts in a language other than English and might be at a developmental disadvantage when expected to build on this knowledge. It has been widely debated in the literature which concepts are stored as language-specific memories and how bilinguals might access this information in their other language. In this proposal, I will investigate how the bilingual brain processes foundational knowledge that is thought to be affected by language experience. In Aim 1, I used event-related potentials (ERPs) to understand how foundational arithmetic concepts, namely memorized multiplication facts, are processed in each of a bilingual’s languages. My research revealed that fluent bilingual adults and children elicit similar brain responses, suggesting equivalent access to these facts from memory, in both languages. This data suggests that bilinguals may have overlapping cortical representations of facts in both languages. In Aim 2, I will directly test this by using a neuroimaging method with better localization than ERPs, specifically functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). I will investigate whether children have shared or separate cortical representations of multiplication facts in their two languages. My pre-doctoral training will give me expertise in complementary brain imaging methodologies with precision in time (ERPs) and space (fMRI) for a more complete understanding of brain development. I will also gain an interdisciplinary perspective intersecting child development, bilingualism, language, and math cognition. In my doctoral work, I use multiplication facts as a unique tool in assessing bilingual memory and processing. However, as a finite set of memorized concepts, multiplication facts may be processed differently than other concepts in bilingual memory. In Aim 3, I will expand my training to understand language dependent memory more broadly, and explore how the dynamics of the bilingual experience modulates learning and retrieval of foundational knowledge. For example, students learning English as a second language score on average 40 points lower than fluent English speakers on the nation’s standard science assessment. This disparity in performance may leave second language learners at a long-term disadvantage as they build on this foundational knowledge. Through this fellowship I aim to become a developmental cognitive neuroscientist versed in multiple research methodologies and an interdisciplinary approach to science. Ultimately, I aim to establish my own research lab to understand the brain basis of language dependent memory in bilinguals. I hope to not only train future generations of students, but also spearhead advancements in basic research that will benefit bilingual education and child development for the 21% of the U.S. population that is bilingual.

项目摘要 在美国，英语是大多数学校的主要教学和测试语言。但是，很多 进入美国学校的双语学生以英语以外的其他语言学习了基础概念，可能 当期望以此知识为基础时，会处于发展灾难。它已经广泛争论 文献将哪些概念存储为特定语言的记忆，以及双语者如何访问这一点 以其他语言的信息信息。在此提案中，我将研究双语大脑如何处理 被认为受语言经验影响的基本知识。在AIM 1中，我使用了与事件相关的 电势（ERP）了解基础算术概念如何，即记住的乘法事实， 在每种双语语言中进行处理。我的研究表明，流利的双语成年人和儿童 引起类似的大脑反应，以两种语言的方式从记忆中获得同等访问这些事实。这 数据表明，双语者可能在两种语言中都具有对事实的皮质表示。目标 2，我将使用比ERP的神经影像学方法直接测试它，特别是功能 磁共振成像（fMRI）。我将调查孩子是共享还是单独的皮质 两种语言中乘法事实的表示。我的博士前培训将为我提供专业知识 完全具有精度（ERP）和空间（fMRI）的完全脑成像方法，更完整 了解大脑发育。我还将获得跨学科的观点相交的孩子 发展，双语，语言和数学认知。在我的博士工作中，我将乘法事实用作 评估双语内存和处理的独特工具。但是，作为一组有限的记忆概念， 在双语内存中，乘法事实的处理方式可能与其他概念不同。在AIM 3中，我将扩展 我的培训以更广泛地了解语言依赖性记忆，并探索如何动态 双语经验调节学习和检索基础知识。例如，学生学习 英语作为第二语言得分平均比美国的英语说话者平均低40分 标准科学评估。这种表现差异可能会使第二语言学习者长期留下 在基于这种基本知识的基础上，劣势。通过这个奖学金，我的目标是成为一个 发育认知神经科学家精通多种研究方法和跨学科 科学方法。最终，我旨在建立自己的研究实验室来了解语言的大脑基础 双语中的依赖记忆。我希望不仅培训子孙后代，而且还要牵头 基础研究的进步将使21％的双语教育和儿童发展受益 双语的美国人口。