双语水平与认知控制心智转换

研究考察双语水平对认知控制心智转换的影响。通过语言转换和任务转换实验，比较两组一语水平相同而二语水平不同的“不平衡”中英双语者（40人，平均年龄20.30岁）。结果发现高水平组在语言转换中优于低水平组，但在任务转换中两组无显著差异。说明双语水平对认知控制心智转换的影响不显著。回归分析结果表明心智转换与双语水平无关，但二语使用显著预测任务转换代价，双语转换频率显著预测任务混合代价。研究表明双语水平对认知控制心智转换的促进作用不显著，但二语使用和双语转换频率可能是双语者心智转换能力增强的重要因素。研究进一步推进了双语促进认知控制的理论，明确了双语优势的具体来源及认知控制受影响的具体层面。

Bilingual Language Proficiency and Mental Set Shifting in Cognitive Control

The study aimed to investigate the impact of language proficiency on the aspect of mental set shifting in cognitive control. By administering the experiments of language switch and task switch, two unbalanced Chinese-English bilingual groups (40 participants, mean age=20.30), homogeneous in L1 proficiency but differing in L2 proficiency, were compared. The results found better performance for the high L2 proficiency group in language switch but no group difference in task switch. The results indicated that L2 proficiency did not exert a significant impact upon mental set shifting in cognitive control. Nevertheless, regression analysis indicated that L2 proficiency did not correlate with mental set shifting but L2 use significantly predicted switch costs and language switching frequency significantly predicted mix costs. These results suggest that L2 use and language switching frequency may be important variables modulating mental set shifting. The findings are insightful to the theory that bilingualism enhances cognitive control and provide further evidence to clarify the specific source of bilingual advantage and to clarify the specific aspect of cognitive control that may be affected.