Executive control of language in young and older bilinguals

年轻和年长双语者的语言执行控制

• 批准号: 203751-2010
• 负责人: Phillips, Natalie
• 金额: $ 3.06万
• 依托单位: Concordia University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2014-01-01 至 2015-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=546403
• 关键词: Executive; control; language; young; older

There is a growing need to understand bilingualism in younger and older adults because 35% of Canadians are bilingual and the proportion over the age of 60 is increasing. There is a varying degree of overlap between a bilingual's first (L1) and second (L2) language. This sharing of information requires executive control to correctly access and produce language-appropriate information when a bilingual is speaking or reading. Studies have shown that executive control capabilities of older bilinguals are relatively protected against age-related decline. Thus, I will investigate attentional and executive control in younger and older English/ French bilinguals specifically using language-based tasks in combination with electrical brain activity (ERPs). Study 1 will examine verbal self-monitoring during picture naming in L1 and L2 when within- and across-language phonological and semantic distractors are present. The goal is to determine whether verbal self-monitoring is greater in L2 than in L1 (due to interference from L1). Study 3 will examine whether the executive control benefits due to being bilingual have a positive effect on the activation and selection of lexically ambiguous words (i.e., words with the same spelling but two distinct meanings). Study 3 will examine language as a mechanism for directing attention (i.e., by specifying relationship between objects) in younger and older adults. Study 4 will examine the neural mechanisms of switching between two languages. There is a seemingly paradoxical asymmetrical cost, namely that it takes longer to switch from one's weaker L2 to one's stronger L1 than vice versa. This is likely due to the need to suppress L1 that is required to perform in L2, which must then be overcome to switch back to L1. Overall, this research program will make a novel and significant contribution by examining the role of executive control in both production (Study 1) and comprehension (Studies 2, 3, 4), by extending current research findings to older bilinguals who represent an extreme test of the importance of executive control, and by elucidating the neural processes involved in the control of language.

越来越需要了解年轻人和老年人的双语能力，因为35%的加拿大人是双语者，60岁以上的比例正在增加。 双语者的第一语言（L1）和第二语言（L2）之间有不同程度的重叠。 这种信息共享需要执行控制，以便在双语者说话或阅读时正确地获取和产生语言适当的信息。 研究表明，老年双语者的执行控制能力相对受到保护，不会因年龄而下降。 因此，我将调查注意力和执行控制在年轻和老年人的英语/法语双语具体使用基于语言的任务结合脑电活动（ERP）。 研究一将探讨语言自我监控在图片命名在L1和L2的内部和跨语言的语音和语义干扰。 我们的目标是确定语言自我监控是否在L2中比在L1中更大（由于L1的干扰）。研究3将考察双语所带来的执行控制益处是否对词汇歧义词的激活和选择有积极影响（即，两个词的拼写相同，但含义不同）。 研究3将研究语言作为引导注意力的机制（即，通过指定对象之间的关系）。 研究4将研究两种语言之间转换的神经机制。 有一个看似矛盾的不对称成本，即从一个较弱的L2转换到一个较强的L1所需的时间比反之亦然。 这可能是由于需要抑制在L2中执行所需的L1，然后必须克服该抑制以切换回L1。 总的来说，这项研究计划将通过研究执行控制在生产（研究1）和理解（研究2，3，4）中的作用，通过将目前的研究结果扩展到代表执行控制重要性的极端测试的老年双语者，并阐明语言控制中涉及的神经过程，做出新颖而重大的贡献。