ABSTRACT

Working memory (WM) is memory for processing information for a short time. WM models often distinguish between verbal and visual stores. It is debated whether knowing more than one language leads to advantages in WM capacity. In this study, we tested whether there are WM capacity or structure differences in monolingual and bilingual adults. We predicted: bilinguals would have greater WM capacity and show greater integration between verbal and visuospatial memory than monolinguals. Sixty monolingual and 101 bilingual adults performed verbal and visuospatial WM tasks, both forward and backward. The results showed little difference in WM capacity between groups. Principal component analysis revealed two WM components for the bilingual group: visual WM and verbal WM. In contrast, only one WM component was observed among monolinguals. These results suggest greater specialisation in WM modality among bilinguals. Future research will test whether these differences are causally linked to the acquisition of two languages.

摘要

工作内存（WM）是用于短时间处理信息的内存。WM模型通常区分语言商店和视觉商店。辩论是否知道一种以上的语言是否会导致WM能力上的优势是有争议的。在这项研究中，我们测试了单语和双语成年人中是否存在WM能力或结构差异。我们预测：双语者将比单语者具有更大的WM能力，并且在语言和视觉空间记忆之间表现出更大的整合性。60名单语成年人和101名双语成年人进行了向前和向后的口头和视觉空间WM任务。结果显示两组之间的WM能力差异不大。主成分分析显示了双语组的两个WM成分：视觉WM和言语WM。相比之下，只有一种语言会观察到一个WM组件。这些结果表明双语者在WM模态上的专业化程度更高。未来的研究将测试这些差异是否与两种语言的获取有因果关系。