Journal of Psychological Science ›› 2023, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (3): 522-529.

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Do the bilinguals have better level of conflict monitoring?

Yu Rui1,2, Tao Yun1, Zhu Xiaoyuan1, Tian Tao1   

  1. (1 Faculty of Education, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, 650500)
    (2 School of Humanities and Management, Yunnan University of Chinese Medicine, Kunming, 650500)
  • Received:2022-02-10 Revised:2022-06-15 Online:2023-05-20 Published:2023-05-20
  • Contact: Yun TAO

双语者有更好的冲突监控水平吗?

于 睿1, 2 陶 云**1 朱晓媛1 田 涛1   

  1. (1 云南师范大学教育学部,昆明,650500)
    (2 云南中医药大学人文与管理学院,昆明,650500)

  • 通讯作者: 陶云

Abstract: Conflict monitoring is the system responsible for processing conflict information in the cognitive control system and it is also the basis and premise of cognitive control, which contains the process of conflict detection and resolution. Language, as the most enduring and integrated experience of human engagement, most likely shapes the structure and cognitive abilities of the brain. In recent years, the influence and shaping of bilingual experience on human cognition is a popular research field in cognitive psychology, and the related researches have been greatly increased in both quantity and diversity. To explore the effect of bilingual experience on conflict monitoring or cognitive control, researchers have constructed different theoretical models, which include Inhibitory Control Model, Conflict Monitoring Theory, Adaptive Control Hypothesis, Bilingual Anterior to Posterior and Subcortical Shift Model, and Executive Attention Model. Conflict tasks such as Flanker, Simon, Stroop and ANT tasks are often used as experimental tasks in this field, including consistency conditions and inconsistency conditions. In addition to reaction time and error rate, the indicators also examine the conflict monitoring level include the conflict effect and the consistent sequence effect. At present, whether there exists a “bilingual advantage” in conflict monitoring has aroused heated discussion among researchers. Numerous studies have proved the positive impact of bilingual experience on conflict monitoring. In recent years, many studies have further validated better conflict monitoring performance for bilinguals under certain qualified conditions. These limitations include high monitoring context, appropriate age, high L2 proficiency, interference suppression tasks and lower education level. However, another opinion is that the bilinguals have no superior performance in conflict monitoring. The “bilingual advantage” found by many studies may be due to the following reasons: confusion of demographic variables, uncertainty in the direction of causality, publication bias, statistical problems, and so on. On the one hand, the existence of these arguments demonstrates the complexity of the impact of language on cognitive function. On the other hand, previous studies show that there still exist so many problems to be solved, such as ambiguous differences between groups, too simple experimental tasks and different research methods, which may be part of the reasons for the differences in results. Investigation of this issue is an important verification of the hypothesis of brain plasticity, and an important exploration of language functionality. Therefore, it is necessary to continue the inquiry to obtain more definitive conclusions. Future researches can change trains of thoughts, no longer focus on verifying bilingual advantages, and explore the problem from the perspective that bilingual experience may affect the conflict monitoring function. In future, we should be under the guidance of theoretical models with richer connotation to adopt more longitudinal research. Besides, on the basis of the scientific division of the monolinguals and the bilinguals, we should take language similarity issue into account, and set a task paradigm that can reflect a higher cognitive level for further exploration the impact of bilingual experience on conflict monitoring function.

Key words: bilingual experience, conflict monitoring, cognitive control, bilingual advantage

摘要: 冲突监控是个体负责处理冲突信息的认知系统。双语经验能否提高个体的冲突监控水平,目前还存在争论。本文在行为和认知神经证据基础上,总结了两种对立的观点并进行分析。未来研究应不再执着于验证双语优势,从双语经验可能影响冲突监控功能的角度展开;在内涵更丰富的理论模型指导下,采用更多的纵向研究,在科学划分单语者与双语者的基础上,考虑语言相似性问题,设置能反映更高认知水平的任务范式继续探究双语经验对冲突监控功能的影响。

关键词: 双语经验, 冲突监控, 认知控制, 双语优势