Efficiency of arithmetic operations in bilinguals as a function of language

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Science
• Psycholinguistics
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Bilingualism influences cognitive processes, including mathematical problem-solving.
• Understanding language processing in bilinguals is crucial for cognitive research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of preferred (P) versus non-preferred (NP) language on arithmetic problem-solving speed in English-Spanish bilinguals.
• To determine if the number of operations or language influences reaction time.

Main Methods:

• Participants solved simple addition problems requiring one, two, or three operations.
• Responses were made in either the participant's preferred or non-preferred language.
• Reaction time was measured and analyzed as a function of the number of operations and language condition.

Main Results:

• Reaction time increased linearly with the number of arithmetic operations for both language conditions.
• The intercept (baseline reaction time) was significantly lower for the preferred language compared to the non-preferred language.
• No significant difference was found in the slope (effect of operations) between the preferred and non-preferred languages.

Conclusions:

• Language proficiency, specifically preferred language use, impacts cognitive task performance.
• The observed difference in reaction time is attributed to language translation processes, either of the final sum or from an abstract representation.
• These findings highlight the cognitive load associated with language processing in bilinguals during mathematical tasks.