ERIC Number: EJ1459963
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 35
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1513-5934
EISSN: EISSN-2651-1479
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Investigating Cognitive Mechanisms Underlying Working Memory Manipulation across Linguistic and Non-Linguistic Domains of Bilinguals
Patdanai Puvacharoonkul; Pornapit Darasawang; Tanagrit Phangwiwat; Praewpiraya Wiwatphonthana; Sirawaj Itthipuripat
rEFLections, v31 n3 p1285-1319 2024
Cognitive control is a mental construct thought to be important in most cognitive tasks, including second language learning. Its functions are believed by many scholars to be mainly domain-general, with some transferability across linguistic and non-linguistic domains. Our study aims to investigate to what extent the domain-generality claim of working memory (WM) between the visual and verbal domains is true in Thai adults aged 18-36 years old. Subjects maintain and manipulate contents in the computerized WM tasks in the verbal (English, Thai, and Mixed Thai-English) and visual (kaleidoscope) domains. We hypothesized that (1) there are correlations in the WM manipulation effect of behavioral performances within the verbal domain, and (2) there are correlations in the WM manipulation effect of behavioral performances between the verbal and visual domains. Behavioral results (hit rates and reaction times) indicate significant correlations among the WM manipulation effect among the three language tasks, but not between the language and the visual tasks. Implications include that cognitive training and improvement are possible, but only within the domain. The manipulation effect can be trained across different languages using linguistic tasks, but visual tasks may not produce the desired manipulation effect in the verbal tasks. Cognitive trainings that use both linguistics and non-linguistic tasks simultaneously to train the students' WM are recommended to achieve the manipulation effect in the language domain.
Descriptors: Short Term Memory, Bilingualism, Executive Function, Second Language Learning, Foreign Countries, Thai, English (Second Language), Adults, Verbal Learning, Visual Learning, Language Proficiency
King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi School of Liberal Arts. 126 Pracha Uthit Road, Bang Mod, Thung Khru, Bangkok, Thailand 10140. Tel: +66-2470-8756; Fax: +66-2428-3375; Web site: https://so05.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/reflections/index
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Thailand
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A