ABSTRACT

The present study examined task order, language, and frequency effects on list memory to investigate how bilingualism affects recognition memory. In Experiment 1, 64 bilinguals completed a recognition memory task including intermixed high and medium frequency words in English and another list in Spanish. In Experiment 2, 64 bilinguals and 64 monolinguals studied lists with only high frequency English words and a separate list with only low frequency English words, in counterbalanced order followed by a recognition test. In Experiment 1, bilinguals who completed the task in the dominant language first outperformed bilinguals tested in the nondominant language first, and order effects were not stronger in the dominant language. In Experiment 2, participants who were tested with high frequency word lists first outperformed those tested with low frequency word lists first. Regardless of language and testing order, memory for English and high frequency words was lower than memory for Spanish and medium frequency (in Experiment 1) or low frequency (in Experiment 2) words. Order effects on recognition memory patterned differently from previously reported effects on picture naming in ways that do not suggest between language interference and instead invite an analogy between language dominance and frequency of use (i.e., dominant language = higher frequency) as the primary factor affecting bilingual recognition memory.

摘要

本研究检查了任务顺序、语言和频率对列表记忆的影响，以研究双语如何影响识别记忆。在实验 1 中，64 名双语者完成了一项识别记忆任务，其中包括混合的英语中高频词和另一个西班牙语列表。在实验 2 中，64 名双语者和 64 名单语者研究了仅包含高频英语单词的列表和仅包含低频英语单词的单独列表，以平衡顺序，然后进行识别测试。在实验 1 中，先用主导语言完成任务的双语者的表现优于先用非主导语言测试的双语者，而主导语言的顺序效应并不强。在实验 2 中，首先接受高频词表测试的参与者优于首先接受低频词表测试的参与者。无论语言和测试顺序如何，英语和高频词的记忆力都低于西班牙语和中频（实验 1）或低频（实验 2）词的记忆力。顺序对识别记忆的影响与先前报道的对图片命名的影响不同，其方式并不表明语言干扰之间存在，而是在语言优势和使用频率（即优势语言 = 更高频率）之间进行类比，作为影响双语的主要因素识别记忆。英语和高频词的记忆力低于西班牙语和中频（在实验 1 中）或低频（在实验 2 中）词的记忆力。顺序对识别记忆的影响与先前报道的对图片命名的影响不同，其方式并不表明语言干扰之间存在，而是在语言优势和使用频率（即优势语言 = 更高频率）之间进行类比，作为影响双语的主要因素识别记忆。英语和高频词的记忆力低于西班牙语和中频（在实验 1 中）或低频（在实验 2 中）词的记忆力。顺序对识别记忆的影响与先前报道的对图片命名的影响不同，其方式并不表明语言干扰之间存在，而是在语言优势和使用频率（即优势语言 = 更高频率）之间进行类比，作为影响双语的主要因素识别记忆。