Why do you want to learn a second language?

bilingualCan speak at least two languages, they can communicate with more people, especially to travel around the world get many convenient, they can also be outside their own work and study.Research has shown that bilingual master two languages in the brain of the performance of active par [1], which means that a bilingual must suppress or timely "off" one does not need to language, so to be successful exchanges.In the process of communication, regardless of need, but at the same time, active language can improve the individualExecutive function(more knowledge about executive function, please readFrontiers for Young MindsThis article) [2], brain scientists will this to the ascension of the brain known as the"Bilingual advantage".

Not all brain scientists agree that bilingual helps the individual brain cognitive development [3], even those who advocate bilingual scientists have not yet fully reveal how improve brain function.Some people think that bilinguals have betterInhibition ofControl ability, in other words, they can concentrate better in the conversation.Others will say that bilinguals are better atmonitoring, which means that they are better at attention to the surrounding environment.For example, when the other party from one language into another language, bilingual are more likely to focus on it, so that the bilingual improve brain function view depends largely on the individual experience of language [4].

People will have different language experience?

It has been proved that the bilingual language experience is uneven, including the use of the language level and degree.For example, a teenager from China, can speak Chinese and English, but there are few opportunities to use English in China.On the contrary, if he go to the UK to go to school, will be often use English.In the same city of bilingual language habits will also have very big different.In the English learning of the Chinese/English bilingual, some can speak Chinese and a group of friends, some will be willing to make more people of different cultural background, and have more chance to use English communication.Our study want to have a look at these two bilingual group whether there is a difference in the brain performs control functions.Next, we'll be looking for a method of measuring language experience.

How to measure language experience?

There are many measurement method of language experience.We use "Language research History Questionnaire (Language History Questionnaire)" [5], including individual answer about using a different language, such as you in each language in listening, speaking, reading and writing ability, the use of the language every day time, and so on.The questionnaires collected from three separate points: 1) proficiency, namely listening, speaking, reading and writing ability of language use;2) the degree of immersion, the individual use of the length of the second language;3) the dominant language, namely the individual using the frequency of the second language.These three scores together to help the researchers detailed description and record the individual experience of language.

How to measure executive function?

In order to measure individual differences in executive function, we use the two popular tasks, Simon task (the Simon task) and Flanker task (the Flanker task).Simon task requirements, when the shape of the screen shows a color, volunteers to press a button as soon as possible and accurately (such asFigure 1).For example, when he saw a blue square, press Q key on the computer keyboard with his left hand, and when he saw a brown square, right hand to press the P button quickly.Make the task is difficult, these shapes will quite possibly to appear in the left side of the computer screen or on the right side.This means that when a shape on the same side of the screen (right), volunteers need to use the right button.Under the condition of the target stimulus attribute consistent, the key task seems very easy, and sometimes when a shape on the left side of the screen appears, he responded quickly with the right hand button.Shape in the side of the screen and buttons response conflict between increasing the difficulty of volunteers to respond.Like Simon task, reaction conflicts in the Flanker task, because in the middle of the arrow and four arrows around instead (such asFigure 2).

How to answer our research question?

This study carried out in an international high school in southern China.In this school, the student's native language is mandarin, but all the courses in English professor.We recruited age of 13 to 19 years of high school students, a total of 41, and organize their experiment task on the Internet.First of all, each volunteer to fill in language history questionnaire, and answered about playing video games or play a musical instrument frequency, etc.Next, Simon was completed and the Flanker task in random order.Although the two tasks are very similar, but such studies are usually asked volunteers to complete more than one task, to observe the comparison results are consistent.The students finished about stress levels.For each task, we have measured the students reaction speed and accuracy.In this study, we control the video games and instruments learning experience, and such as age and pressurevariable.Doing so will help us to rule out other interference factors, thus the results may be associated with the language experience conclusion.

Our study found

For every task and every language experience measurement results, the results of our study is different.Simon task results show that after controlling for other variables, under the condition of the strong bilingual English ability is, the inhibition of grip is the better (such asFigure 3).This means that the English ability of students in the task more difficult, uncoordinated react faster;Under the condition of other variables are the same, our study shows that students spend time learning a musical instrument, will have the same result, that is to say, learn a musical instrument can also improve the individual inhibitory control.The Flanker task, English ability of bilinguals have better monitoring ability, that is to say, the higher English language ability of students in a consistent, inconsistent and neutral try missions of faster response speed, they are better at monitoring task.

However, those students more exposure to English in the Flanker task of reaction speed slow instead, the result makes us feel very surprised!We believe that the findings suggest that the more contact with students are working hard to improve their English proficiency, so they will pay more attention to their vocabulary used in the process of exchanges, so that lead to their reaction speed slow slightly instead.However, this is the best we can think for now explain, subsequent other studies are needed to further validate our speculation.Although Simon task is very similar and Flanker task, the experiment research finally got different results on the two tasks.Because institute selected the task and content of the measured is slightly different, a finding that more research needs to be in the future to further confirm the results.

The importance of this study

Our results show that promote bilingual ability can effectively improve the individual executive function.At the same time, we also found that learning a musical instrument can also help the ascension of executive function.The results found that, for young children, especially those bilingual families, has very important practical significance.Sometimes, children are not willing to learn their mother tongue, because in the context of school no chance to use their native language.Future more research is needed to better explain the bilingual learning for the brain cognitive benefits, especially to pay attention to the bilingual group study of high school period.We hope that this study will encourage learning a second language, although it is not easy to learn a foreign language, but it was definitely worth the time and effort you put in!Next time, don't hesitate to say "Hello", maybe around the corner, you can make new friends!

Thank you

Thanks for lifelong development research center, brain and mind nerve centre for scientific research, development, population contribution to Chinese translation in this paper.Thank Lu Qiuyu contribution to Chinese translation and editing;Thank you left in the west, zhang lei, Zhou Liping contribution to the Chinese review of this article.

The vocabulary

Bilingual (Bilingual):writeAt least two people of different languages, so to speak.

Executive Function (Executive Function):writeRefers to the coordinate series of psychological cognitive process of thinking and behavior, such as information updates, suppression, detection, etc.

Bilingual Advantage (Bilingual Advantage):writeThe brain function due to speak two languages.

Inhibition (Inhibition):writePart of the executive function, help people ignore distractions.

Monitoring (Monitoring):writeFocus on the ability of the surroundings.

Variable (Variable):writeCan be changed, the features of measurement.

Conflict of interest statement

The author statement, the study is in no may be interpreted as potential conflicts of interest under the condition of commercial or financial relationships.

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The original

writePrivitera, a. J., Momenian, m., and're, b. s. 2022. The Task - specific bilingual effects in Mandarin - English speaking high school students in China.Curr. Res. Behav. Sci. 3:10 0066. Doi: 10.1016 / j.carol carroll rbeha. 2022.100066

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reference

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[2]writeFriedman, n. p. and arihiro Miyake, a. 2017. Unity and'm of executive functions provides: individual differences as A window on cognitive structure.The Cortex.86:186-204. Doi: 10.1016 / j.carol carroll ortex 2016.04.023

[3]writePaap, k. 2019. "The bilingual advantage debate: The quantity and quality of The evidence," inThe faced of The Neuroscience of Multilingualism, 701-35.

[4]writePrivitera, a. J., Momenian, m., and're, b. 2022. A Graded bilingual effects on attentional network function in Chinese high school students.Bilingual. Lang. Cogn. 1-11. Doi: 10.1017 / S1366728922000803

[5]writeLi, P., Zhang, F., Yu, A., and Zhao, x. 2020. Language history questionnaire (LHQ3) : an enhanced tool for assessing multilingual experience.Bilingual. Lang. Cogn.There occurred 38-44. Doi: 10.1017 / S1366728918001153