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Related Experiment Videos

Language and number: a bilingual training study.

E S Spelke1, S Tsivkin

  • 1Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT, NE20-456, 3 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. spelke@mit.edu

Cognition
|November 4, 2000
PubMed
Summary
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Bilinguals learn exact numbers better in their training language, suggesting language shapes precise numerical cognition. Approximate numbers and general facts are learned equally well in both languages.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Psycholinguistics
  • Neuroscience of Language

Background:

  • Human numerical cognition is thought to be influenced by language.
  • The precise role of specific languages in representing numerical information remains unclear.
  • Bilingualism offers a unique lens to study language-dependent cognitive processes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether a specific language influences the representation of exact and approximate numerical information.
  • To determine if language of training affects the learning and retrieval of numerical and non-numerical facts.
  • To explore the implications of language's role in numerical cognition for bilingual education and human cognitive development.

Main Methods:

  • Three experiments were conducted with Russian-English bilingual college students.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Participants learned new numerical operations, arithmetic equations, or factual information in one of their languages.
  • Knowledge retrieval and problem-solving were tested in both languages for trained and new items.

    • Main Results:

    • Exact number information was retrieved more effectively in the language of training.
    • Trained numerical problems were solved more effectively than untrained ones.
    • Approximate number facts and non-numerical information were retrieved with equal efficiency in both languages, with training generalizing to new facts.

    Conclusions:

    • Specific natural languages contribute to the representation of large, exact numbers, but not to approximate number representations shared with other mammals.
    • Language plays a significant role in learning exact numbers across various contexts.
    • Findings suggest language's role in developing uniquely human cognitive abilities and have implications for bilingual education.